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In the News
NEWS
The Department of Jus-
tice has raised concerns
about the ongoing 2020 elec-
tion audit in Maricopa County,
Arizona. ... A4
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
has announced a $1,000 bo-
nus for first responders. ... A4
The number of deporta-
tions carried out by Immigra-
tion and Customs Enforce-
ment hit a record low in April,
the agency says. ... A8
The Texas Senate has ap-
proved a bill that would allow
eligible residents 21 years
and older to carry a holstered
handgun without a permit.
... A6
Tennessee legislators have
approved a measure that bans
critical race theory from be-
ing taught in the state’s public
and charter schools. ... A6
South Dakota Gov. Kristi
Noem has signed a pledge
that aims to restore “patriotic
education” as liberals push
critical race theory in school
curricula. ... A7
DeSantis has signed an
election integrity law that
places some restrictions on
ballot drop boxes and mail-in
ballots in Florida. ... A8
The FBI’s recent raid of
Rudy Giuliani’s apartment
and office appears to be a
form of retaliation against
him and his client former
President Donald Trump, ex-
pert says. ... A5
A Texas Democrat says
that recent photos from an
empty Border Patrol facility
in southern Texas are mis-
leading. ... A7
The European Union says
that the UK breached the
post-Brexit trade deal when
it imposed “additional condi-
tions” on French fishing boats
in the English Channel. ... A11
The South Carolina House
has voted in favor of a mea-
sure that would add firing
squads as an alternative exe-
cution method for the state’s
death-row inmates. ... A8
CHINA
The Chinese regime has
“indefinitely” suspended all
activities under the China-
Australia Strategic Economic
Dialogue. ... A9
The U.S. Space Command is
tracking uncontrolled debris
from a Chinese rocket that
sent part of a planned space
station into orbit, the White
House says. ... A9
OPINION
Brian Cates: Is Your ‘Woke
Credit Score’ High Enough to
Keep You From Being Denied
Service by Major Corpora-
tions?...A13
Salena Zito: Coal Workers
Union Doesn’t Always Repre-
sent Coal Worker Values...A16
Rob Natelson: Defending the
Constitution: The 2nd Amend-
ment Is Not Outdated...A17
FEATURES
Richmond, Virginia’s state
capital, has strong ties to
both the Revolutionary and
Civil War eras. ...B4
The Panama Canal is well-
known, but the small land
bridge country of Panama
doesn’t get the attention it’s
due. ...B1
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Published in New York,
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| F R I D A Y, M A Y 7, 2 0 21
ENERGY
US Financial Regulators Moving
‘Very Fast’ to Take on Climate Change
Critics argue proposals to introduce climate stress tests for banks aim
to ‘defund the fossil fuel industry before alternatives are in place’
By EMEL AKAN
W
ASHINGTON—Fi-
nancial regulators
around the world are
rushing to implement
models to measure the financial
risk arising from climate change.
Central banks including the Fed-
eral Reserve may soon begin to
implement climate stress tests of
banks, which may limit financing
for industries such as mining, oil,
and gas.
The world’s largest central banks
are pondering how to promote
green financing, as they seek to
introduce regulatory frameworks
to “mobilize” more money for green
and low-carbon investments.
Critics, however, argue that the
HONG KONG
4 Pro-Democracy
Hongkongers
Sentenced to Over
4 Years Jail
Judge rules nonviolent
participants share culpability
for what officials call ‘riots’
By FRANK YUE
Four Hong Kong activists were found
guilty on May 5 and sentenced to
jail for their involvement in unau-
Pro-democracy protesters react as police fire water cannons, in Hong Kong.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Rubio Leads Bipartisan Thrust to Fight for Religious Freedom
By TOM OZIMEK
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on May 5
led a bipartisan group of legislators
calling on President Joe Biden to take
a more decisive role in protecting
religious freedom across the world
and fill the position of ambassador at
large for international religious free-
dom, something the president hasn’t
done in more than 100 days in office.
Biden is urged in the letter to fill
the vacant position, which, prior to
Accuracy The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 as an independent newspaper with the goal to restore accuracy and
integrity in media. We have received numerous awards for our reporting, including from the Society of Professional
& Integrity Journalists, the Society for News Design, and the New York Press Association.
Truth & Tradition
The Federal Reserve in Washington on March 19, 2021.
proposals to introduce climate
stress tests aim to “defund the fos-
sil fuel industry” and steer funds
to “fashionable but unprofitable
investments.”
Stress testing, developed after
the Great Recession, is a process
by which central banks determine
whether a financial institution has
enough capital to weather various
economic risks.
The European Central Bank (ECB)
is one of the pioneers in investigat-
ing and deploying concrete plans
to address climate risk. The bank
is currently piloting a framework
for climate stress tests that involves
2,000 banks in the euro area and is
planning to publish the result of its
exercise in July.
Speaking at a webinar hosted by
thorized anti-Beijing protests on
National Day in October 2019.
The heaviest sentence—four years
and eight months—was handed
to 40-year-old janitor Chan Hang,
who was caught on camera throw-
ing objects at police and burning a
banner on the street during unrest
in Tsuen Wan that day, the South
China Morning Post reported. He
was convicted of rioting and arson.
Judge Ernest Michael Lin Kam-
hung sentenced the others—Chan
Kam-kwok, a 21-year-old kitchen
worker; Lee Chun-man, a 27-year-
Continued on A9
ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Jan. 20, had been occupied by for-
mer Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback,
a Republican, who was appointed
by then-President Donald Trump.
The lawmakers also called for the
appointment of a director of inter-
national religious freedom within
the National Security Council, a role
previously held by Sarah Makin-Ac-
ciani, who earlier served as an aide
to then-Vice President Mike Pence.
“Religious freedom, one of the
most basic human rights for all
VOL . X V I I I | NO. 2,956 $1.
DANIEL SLIM/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
INDIA
India Faces
Unique
Problems With
Pandemic’s
2nd Wave
Expert says India was
ill-prepared because it ‘took
it lightly’ after 1st wave
By VENUS UPADHAYAYA
NEW DELHI—While the current
second wave of COVID-19 isn’t
unique to India, the South Asian na-
tion presents a unique set of prob-
lems that are aggravating the surge
of the disease, according to a global
health care policy expert who has
authored a book on the pandemic.
Meanwhile, experts are warning
that a third wave of COVID-19 is
inevitable in India.
“I would say the second wave hap-
pened all over the world. As the first
wave in India was a few months
delayed, I think the second wave
is also few months delayed, but it
happened faster,” Joe Chalil, the au-
thor of “Beyond the COVID-19 Pan-
demic: Envisioning a Better World
by Transforming the Future of
Healthcare,” told The Epoch Times.
EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES “But it’s the same way which hap-
pened in the U.S., which happened
in the UK and Europe, France, Ita-
ly all over. So this is nothing new.
This is to be expected. And I’m
not sure this is the last wave.” The
second waves already occurred a
few months ago in New York and
Miami, and “as we speak,” it’s hap-
pening in other places of the world
like Brazil, he added.
The Moody’s logo outside the rating Brazil, a country of just 214 mil-
agency’s headquarters in New York, in lion people, experienced its second-
this file photo. wave surge almost a month ahead
of India and has recorded 414,645
the ratings firm Moody’s on May deaths as of May 6, while India saw
6, Carmelo Salleo, head of stress its deadliest single-day surge of a re-
test modeling division at the ECB, cord-breaking 412,262 infections on
said that modeling financial risk May 6 and its total death count as of
derived from climate risk is still the same day was 230,168.
“in its infancy” and there’s a lack “The problems in India might be a
Continued on A3 Continued on A10
NATION
US Sees Fewest Births Since 1979:
CDC Report
By MIMI NGUYEN LY The general fertility rate was down
by 4 percent from 2019—another
The United States in 2020 saw the record low for the United States, at
lowest number of births since 1979 55.8 births per 1,000 women aged
and an ongoing decline in birth rates, 15–44 in 2020. The rate dropped for
according to the U.S. Centers for Dis- mothers of every major race and
ease Control and Prevention (CDC). ethnicity, and in nearly every age
The agency estimated some 3.6 group, except for adolescents aged
million babies were born in the 10–14 and women aged 45–49.
country in 2020— Meanwhile, the to-
down 4 percent from tal fertility rate (TFR),
2019. This marks the The general fertility was also down by 4
lowest number of rate was down by 4 percent from 2019, at
births since 42 years percent from 2019— yet another record low,
ago, as well as the sixth at  1,637.5 births per
consecutive year that another record low 1,000 women in 2020.
the number of births for the United States. The TFR estimates
has declined—down how many births a
an average of 2 percent per year. hypothetical group of 1,000 wom-
The provisional birthrate report en would have over their lifetimes,
published May 5 by the CDC is based on the age-specific birth
based on a review of 99.87 percent rate in a given year. The 2020 rate
of birth certificates issued in 2020, is below the level at which a given
processed last year by the CDC’s generation can exactly replace itself
National Center for Health Statis- (2,100 births per 1,000 women). The
tics as of Feb. 11. Continued on A5
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
BIPARTISAN FIGHT FOR
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
people, has historically been an
WORLDWIDE
area of sincere bipartisan sup-
port and agreement in American
foreign policy,” the lawmakers “It is crucial that
wrote. While acknowledging the international
federal government’s “significant religious
strides” in promoting the rights liberty remain
a top priority
of people of faith across the world
of United
and condemning the persecution
States foreign
of religious minorities, the legisla- policy,” Sen.
tors wrote that “the current state Marco Rubio said.
of international religious freedom Read more on A4
Continued on A4
A2 | NATION
Senators Object to Amnesty
for Academics Funded by China
MARK TAPSCOTT
Eight Republican senators aren’t
happy that the Department of
Justice (DOJ) is moving forward
with amnesty for researchers who
admit getting past funding from
foreign sources.
“America’s successful research
enterprise is built on reciprocity,
integrity, and transparency. These
values foster a free exchange of
ideas and ensure that research-
ers and institutions receive the
benefit of hard work,” the senators
told Attorney General Merrick
Garland in a May 5 letter made
public on May 6.
The senators noted
that ‘DOJ has not
consulted with
Congress on this
amnesty program.’
“As a result, America attracts
the best and brightest. It needs
to stay that way. But the United
States must also take reasonable
steps to protect taxpayer-funded
research from theft, diversion,
and ultimately weaponization
against our own long-term na-
tional interests.
“This is a complex problem, but
an amnesty program rewarding
individuals who broke federal law
to steal U.S. taxpayer-funded re-
search is simply not the answer.”
Signers of the letter include Sens.
Marco Rubio of Florida, John
Cornyn of Texas, Charles Grassley
of Iowa, Tom Cotton of Arkansas,
Susan Collins of Maine, Ben Sasse
of Nebraska, Todd Young of Indi-
ana, and Rob Portman of Ohio.
Their letter was prompted by
information the senators didn’t
describe to Garland, but that
suggested to them that the DOJ
is launching in a few weeks the
amnesty program first reported in
January by The Wall Street Journal.
The senators noted that “DOJ has
not consulted with Congress on
this amnesty program. It is also our
understanding that DOJ did not
properly consult with the relevant
Inspector General community.”
“Inspectors General from large
grant-making agencies, such as
the National Science Founda-
tion and the National Institutes
of Health, are on the frontlines of
combatting grant fraud by corrupt
researchers seeking to take advan-
Tallahassee Sues to Reveal Names of Police Officers
Involved in Use-of-Force Incidents
MATTHEW VADUM
The City of Tallahassee, Florida, is
challenging a state constitutional
amendment that bolsters crime
victims’ rights by curbing the
state’s open-records laws.
Florida’s First District Court of
Appeal ruled on April 6 in the
case that the amendment, which
shields the identities of crime vic-
tims, covers police officers who are
victims of crime.
Tallahassee officials argue the
ruling has the effect of interfering
with the ability of the public to
hold police accountable in a state
renowned for its laws guarantee-
ing public access to government
records.
The appeal comes less than a
month after the U.S. Department
of Justice decided not to pursue
criminal charges against the still-
unidentified U.S. Capitol Police of-
ficer involved in the fatal shooting
of 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt dur-
ing the security breach at the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6, while Congress
was in the process of officially cer-
tifying the 2020 presidential elec-
tion results.
The federal government has
withheld the identity of the police
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice
alongside Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta (L) and Deputy Attorney
General Lisa Monaco, in Washington on April 26, 2021.
tage of the openness and funding
that the U.S. research enterprise
provides,” they wrote.
More than a dozen cases have
been filed in recent months by
the DOJ against researchers who
failed to disclose their foreign
funding sources for projects in-
volving sensitive U.S. technolo-
gies, including several involving
China.
The senators told Garland they’re
worried “about the effect that this
amnesty program will have on
those ongoing criminal cases and
officer. Unlike many other police
organizations, there is reportedly
no rule requiring the U.S. Capitol
Police force to provide the name
of the shooter.
In two separate encounters,
crime suspects threatened Talla-
hassee police officers with deadly
force, according to the appeals
court ruling.
“Faced with the imminent
threat of harm, the officers re-
sponded in kind, resulting in fa-
talities. Following the encounters,
the City of Tallahassee revealed
its intent to disclose the identities
of the police officers to the public.
The officers and their registered
bargaining representative, the
Florida Police Benevolent As-
sociation Inc. ... opposed public
disclosure of the officers’ identi-
ties and sought a declaration from
the trial court that the officers
were entitled to the protections
granted crime victims.”
The appeal, cited as City of Talla-
hassee v. Florida Police Benevolent
Association Inc., was filed with the
Florida Supreme Court on May 4.
The current mayor of Tallahassee
is John E. Dailey, a Democrat who
succeeded Andrew Gillum, also a
Democrat, in 2018.
MANDEL NGAN-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
the signal that it sends to future re-
searchers contemplating breaking
U.S. law to steal research or hide
affiliations with foreign govern-
ments or militaries.”
They pointed as an example to
a January DOJ announcement of
charges being filed against Dr.
Gang Chen, an MIT professor
who was indicted for failing to
disclose “various appointments
with the PRC ... often in exchange
for financial compensation,” and
“was serving in several advisory
roles for the PRC and PRC enti-
Amendment 6 was approved by
Sunshine State voters in 2018, re-
ceiving a 61.6 percent “yes” vote,
according to Ballotpedia.
The ballot question dealt with
three separate proposals. One
added specific rights of crime
victims, collectively known as
Marsy’s Law, to the state Consti-
tution; another raised the judicial
retirement age to 75 from 70; and
another prohibited state courts
from deferring to an administra-
tive agency’s interpretation of a
state statute or rule in lawsuits.
The effort to enshrine Marsy’s
Law across the United States came
about after Marsalee (“Marsy”)
Nicholas was murdered by her
former boyfriend. A week later, her
brother and mother were shocked
to encounter the ex-boyfriend at
a grocery store, unaware he had
been released by the authorities. A
legal reform movement emerged
led by the brother, tech billionaire
Henry Nicholas.
The legal case now before the
Florida Supreme Court is touted
as the first major test of whether
Marsy’s Law is at odds with gov-
ernment transparency guarantees
incorporated into what are argu-
ably the nation’s most sweeping
ties [when he] applied for and ob-
tained a U.S. Department of En-
ergy (DOE) grant in order to fund
a portion of his research at MIT.”
At the time of Chen’s arrest, The
Epoch Times reported that he
“has pleaded not guilty and is sup-
ported by MIT [and] is not the only
prominent academic figure to be
arrested and charged with failing
to disclose connections to Chinese
research institutes.”
“At least half a dozen have been
arrested in the last year or so. They
include Charles Lieber, the chair
of the Harvard University Chem-
istry Department, who is accused
of concealing his participation in
an ambitious, state-sponsored
Chinese effort to recruit top sci-
entists and engineers from around
the world to work in China,” The
Epoch Times wrote.
The senators are also worried
that the DOJ program will under-
cut recent efforts by Congress and
the Trump administration to deter
Chinese theft of U.S. research and
technology.
“In section 1299C of the Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, P.L.
116-283 (Jan. 1, 2021), Congress re-
quired the Secretary of Defense
and other government agencies to
work with higher education insti-
public-records laws.
The appeals court ruled that
there is nothing in Marsy’s Law
that “excludes law enforcement
officers—or other government
employees—from the protections
granted crime victims.”
A police officer “meets the defi-
nition of a crime victim” under
Marsy’s Law “when a crime sus-
pect threatens the officer with
deadly force, placing the officer
in fear for his life.”
The two police officers men-
tioned in the legal proceeding
were involved in separate use-of-
force incidents. The officer identi-
fied as “John Doe 2” shot a black
transgender person in May 2020 in
an incident that received national
media attention, according to TV
station WJXT.
Because the officer was the vic-
tim of an aggravated assault with a
deadly weapon in the incident in-
volving Natosha “Tony” McDade,
the police association argued he
was entitled to privacy protections
under Marsy’s Law.
The First Amendment Founda-
tion, the Florida Press Associa-
tion, and various media outlets
intervened in the legal proceed-
ing, saying that applying Marsy’s
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
The Department of Justice
in Washington on Jan. 2, 2020.
SAMIRA BOUAOU/THE EPOCH TIMES
tutions to limit foreign influence
and exploitation of U.S. technology
within the Department of Defense
research, science and technology,
and innovation enterprise,” the
letter to Garland says.
“In addition, section 1281 of the
NDAA for Fiscal Year 2020, P.L.
116-92 (Dec. 20, 2019) built on a
provision from the prior year’s
NDAA, requiring the Secretary
of Defense and other government
agencies to provide training and
resources to limit foreign influ-
ence, protect national security
information, and protect against
threats to institutions of higher
education, including counterin-
telligence information developed
for academic researchers based on
identified threats.”
The senators requested a brief-
ing “detailing the scope, nature,
and timeline of DOJ’s amnesty
program by no later than May 12.”
The short timeline for the briefing
is unusual, as such congressional
requests typically allow two or
more weeks for fulfillment.
A DOJ spokesman didn’t imme-
diately respond to a request by The
Epoch Times for comment.
Congressional correspondent
Mark Tapscott may be contacted
at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc
Law to law enforcement officers
would undermine government
transparency laws.
The appeals court ruling over-
turned a ruling by a Leon County
Circuit judge who determined the
“explicit language of Marsy’s Law
was not intended to apply to law
enforcement officers when act-
ing in their official capacity” and
ordered the city to release the of-
ficers’ names.
Cassandra K. Jackson, city attor-
ney for Tallahassee, said the city
brought the case out of concern
about government transparency.
The city of Tallahassee is seek-
ing review of the appeals court
decision “finding that police of-
ficers, while performing their
public duties, are to be afforded
the protections of Marsy’s Law,”
Jackson told The Epoch Times in
an emailed statement.
“This case is one of great public
importance to the State of Florida
in its appellate level interpreta-
tion of Article 1, Section 16 of the
Florida Constitution (Marsy’s
Law). With respect for the Court’s
opinion and appreciation of the
difficult work performed by police
officers every day, the decision has
far-reaching implications related
to public transparency and is de-
serving of final review by Florida’s
highest court.”
The Florida Police Benevolent
Association didn’t immediately
respond to requests for comment.
 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 NATION | A3
CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES

tions said that there is a significant push

in the United States to incorporate climate
change risk into bank oversight.
“We’ve seen very strong signals from the
Biden administration, that climate is one of
the top priorities,” Mazzacurati said.
“We’ve also seen a lot of strong signals from
the different financial supervisory agencies,
including the Fed. So I expect that this is a
space that is going to move very fast in the
U.S. going forward.”

Cochrane said that the

Fed and other central
banks ‘are rushing to
take on climate change.’

The Fed hasn’t yet proposed a framework to

address climate change but it’s in the “very
early stages of considering stress scenarios,”
Fed Chair Jerome Powell told the U.S. House
of Representatives’ Financial Services Com-
mittee in March.
In January, the U.S. central bank created a
“Supervision Climate Committee” to study
potential implications of climate change for
financial institutions and markets.
Critics, however, fear that the financial
A Citgo logo refiner in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Nov. 8, 2018. regulators could “weaponize” their author-
ity to force banks and private companies to
defund fossil fuel industries.

US Financial Regulators Moving ‘Very A group of Republican lawmakers sent

a letter in December to the Fed, raising
concerns about the central bank poten-

Fast’ to Take on Climate Change tially introducing climate-related stress

CONTINUED FROM A1
of consensus among experts on how to
develop the model.
Hence, the scientists at the ECB “had to
start from scratch” and do all the steps from
finding the relevant data to thinking of dif-
ferent ways to model it, he said.
“But the good news is, it can be done with
some investment,” he said.
The purpose of the stress test modeling
is to identify climate-related physical and
transition risk factors facing banks and
companies.
Physical risk refers to costs that arise from
extreme weather events such as floods and
wildfires. And transition risk is defined as
financial risk arising from policy changes
in the process of moving towards a low-
carbon economy.
According to Salleo, increasing carbon
taxes, for example, would affect some com-
panies disproportionately and that generates
financial risk for these firms.
The Bank of England announced last
year that it would implement its first cli-
mate stress test on financial institutions in
June. The test will require banks and insur-
ance firms to determine whether they have
enough capital levels to mitigate potential
losses from climate change.
The developments in Europe have en-
couraged U.S. regulators to explore ways to
mitigate climate-related risks facing the U.S.
financial system.
Following the November 2020 presidential
election, the Federal Reserve declared cli-
mate change as a potential threat to financial
stability and formally joined the Network of
Central Banks and Supervisors for Green-
ing the Financial System. The network, es-
tablished three years ago, promotes green
finance and aims to develop recommenda-
tions for central banks “to manage risks and
to mobilize capital for green and low-carbon
investments,” according to its website.
The group has more than 100 members and
observers, including the People’s Bank of
DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks dur-
ing a virtual roundtable event in Washington on
Feb. 5, 2021.
China, the ECB, and the International Mon-
etary Fund.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Fed of-
ficials have repeatedly affirmed the govern-
ment’s commitment to addressing climate-
related risks to financial stability.
Speaking at the webinar, Emilie Mazzacu-
rati, global head of Moody’s climate solu-
tests for banks.
“We urge you not to entertain implemen-
tation of such [climate related] scenarios
without due consideration of their meth-
odological shortcomings and challenges,”
the group stated in the letter.
They cited shortcomings of frameworks
introduced by some European regulators
and urged not to mirror the paths they took.
According to John Cochrane, an economist
at the Hoover Institution at Stanford Univer-
sity, the Fed and other central banks “are
rushing to take on climate change.”
“Yes, we are decarbonizing the economy,
but similar transitions from horses to cars,
from trains to planes, or from typewriters to
computers did not cause even a blip in the
financial system. Companies and industries
come and go all the time,” Cochrane wrote
in an article in City Journal.
“So why is there pressure for financial
firms to ‘disclose’ absurdly fictitious ‘cli-
mate risks’ and change investments to
avoid them? Clearly, these proposals aim
to defund the fossil fuel industry before al-
ternatives are in place and to steer funds to
fashionable but unprofitable investments
by regulatory subterfuge.”

solutely offensive, hurtful, and

Iowa School Board Appoints Director of Equity Despite
Controversial Social Media Posts
JACOB HALL
JOHNSTON, Iowa—A local school
board in Iowa approved a director
of equity, inclusion, and belong-
ing despite social media posts that
denounced black conservatives
with racially insulting language
and expressed fear and distrust
of the police.
The nominee refused to apolo-
gize, saying his posts reflect his
and others’ experiences.
On May 3, the school board of
Johnston, a suburb of Des Moines,
approved Louis Fountain as its
newest administrative team mem-
ber by a 6–1 vote.
In late April, the district had an-
nounced Fountain as its choice for
the position. But on April 27, re-
ports surfaced that Fountain had
made several controversial social
media posts.
Some Johnston residents asked
the board to delay the vote and
give the community an opportu-
nity to hold a town hall meeting to
discuss the issue.
“Give yourself time to process
all of the facts and give them fair
thought before making your de-
cisions,” said Johnston resident
Roxanne McGee, who questioned
if students of law enforcement
officers or conservative families
would feel a sense of inclusion
and belonging.
Mary White, another Johnston
resident, said she doesn’t believe
parents in the district are racist but
they are being “viciously attacked”
and not included in the education-
al content taught their children.
“A war on police is being com-
menced,” White said. “Teaching
our children to be scared of the
badge is not going to help the situ-
ation. These are people that I work
with. These are people that I en-
trust my life with. This inherently
is wrong.”
White questioned if Fountain’s
social media posts violated the
district’s own policy.
“Does the district now condone
these statements,” she asked. “Do
they publicly condone these ac-
tions? It is in violation of your own
policy.”
The district’s policy states that
while employees have a right
to speak out on matters of pub-
lic concern, the district has the
right to respond when personal
use of social media interferes with
the employee’s ability to perform
his or her duties or affects the
district’s efforts to provide edu-
cational services.
“If you submit or post informa-
tion or comments that are not re-
lated to the District, your activi-
ties may still result in professional
repercussions,” the policy states.
“Mr. Fountain is bringing a rich
set of skills, relationships, and
experiences to our district,” Su-
perintendent Laura Kacer said, as
reported on the district’s website.
“He is passionate about equity
and inclusion and we are excited
to have him here in Johnston to do
this important and needed work.”
Social Media Posts
Fountain announced publicly on
his Facebook page he was “be-
yond excited” to be Johnston’s
pick on April 22. His social me-
dia account was subsequently
scrubbed, although The Epoch
Times saved several posts before
they were deleted.
On Feb. 18, he posted: “Her-
schel Walker didn’t forget he was
BLACK, he just doesn’t want to be.”
Fountain “liked” two comments
referring to Kanye West and Walk-
er, two black conservatives, by a
derogatory name used for blacks
who are said to sell out to whites.
Fountain advocated against
police being in schools, referring
to a “school-to-prison pipeline” if
police are present there.
He also said he fears the police
driving behind him. “History has
shown me to fear the badge more
than to fear a gun.”
On May 31, as Black Lives Mat-
ter protests were taking place in
Des Moines, Fountain shared
10 detailed tips for taking part
in a protest, with advice such
as: “Water makes pepper spray
worse. Use baking soda in water
or liquid antacid in water. Don’t
wear contacts.”
In one post, Fountain vowed to
pack the electoral map on his next
trip so he knows where not to stop
for gas.
He also shared a photo of the fly
that landed on former Vice Presi-
dent Mike Pence’s head during
the vice presidential debate, say-
ing, “usually flies land on [exple-
tive deleted].”
Despite these and other posts,
Fountain was approved by the
school board.
Board Members Comment
At the May 3 board meeting, Jen-
SCREENSHOT/JOHNSON COMMUNITY SCHOOL
DISTRICT VIA THE EPOCH TIMES
Johnston School Board member
Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher speaks
during a debate on the confirmation
of Louis Fountain as the district’s
new director of equity, inclusion, and
belonging, in Johnston, Iowa, on May
3, 2021.
nifer Chamberland, one of the six
members who voted yes, said she
“struggled” with the topic and
understands the concerns, but
she added that “as a white per-
son, I don’t necessarily have to
understand why comments are
made in that regard.”
She said that while she “hopes”
all students are included in the
inclusiveness, the position is
“more geared toward creating
equity with our minority popu-
lations.”
“So for that, to say that our focus
should be on making sure that
white kids feel accepted is not to
my understanding necessarily
what we should be focusing on.”
Board member Soneeta
Mangra-Dutcher also voted for
his confirmation. She said as a
person of color on the board, she
received messages that were “ab-
disgusting” from the community.
Mangra-Dutcher said she “feels
the same way” as some of Foun-
tain’s posts.
“I will say right here in front of
everybody, there are places in
the state that I don’t feel com-
fortable stopping in,” she said.
“I have stopped in some place
and been told, ‘We don’t serve
people like you.’”
Jeanie Kerber, the board’s vice
president, asked the community
to “open up their hearts and their
minds” to Fountain.
“I just can’t ignore the parallel
that Mr. Fountain is likely expe-
riencing right now and that of not
being welcomed and told that he
does not belong here,” she said.
“Every student belongs here. I be-
lieve that Mr. Fountain belongs
here.”
Alicia Clevenger was the only
member to vote against Foun-
tain’s confirmation. While she
supports the position, she was
frustrated she wasn’t allowed to
ask Fountain questions.
“If we were hiring a special ed
teacher, and they had 800 com-
ments that were great, but they
had three that we had questions
about, I struggle to believe that
we wouldn’t ask questions,” she
said. “I wanted to know how can
he say those things about Her-
schel Walker and then teach our
kids about inclusivity. We have
children of color in our district
from conservative homes.”
After the vote, Fountain
thanked his supporters for “fight-
ing” for him.
“Many of the comments I have
made about what it is to feel safe
in America as a black person re-
flect the experiences that I and
many others have had,” Fountain
said. “I do not apologize for this.”
A4 | NATION
EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/GETTY IMAGES
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks dur-
ing a press conference in Miami on
June 8, 2020.
DeSantis
Announces
$1,000 Bonus
Checks to Florida
First Responders:
‘We’re Funding
the Police’
TOM OZIMEK
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has an-
nounced a round of one-time $1,000
bonuses for first responders—includ-
ing firefighters and law enforcement
officers—saying on May 5 that “we’re
funding the police and then some.”
DeSantis traveled to  Satellite
Beach, Temple Terrace, and Fort
Myers to announce the bonuses
for around 174,000 first responders
across the state, including for para-
medics, emergency medical techni-
cians, firefighters, and law enforce-
ment officers.
“Some want to defund the police.
We’re funding the police and then
some, and that’s what we’re here to-
day to say,” the governor stated at a
news conference in front of the Satel-
lite Beach Police Department, draw-
ing nods of approval and applause
from first responders and members
of law enforcement who stood along-
side DeSantis at the event.
The governor took note of the so-
called anti-riot bill he signed into
law in late April, praising lawmakers
for including provisions that make it
harder for local governments to de-
fund the police. The measure, called
HB 1: Combating Public Disorder,
says local authorities can’t cut their
police budgets without approval
from the state.
We are not going
to let local govern-
ments defund law
enforcement ... and if
you try to do it, we’re
going to fight back.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
“The mission has been accom-
plished on a lot of what we set out to
do to support our men and women
in law enforcement this legislative
session,” DeSantis said. “When we
passed our anti-rioting bill, we had
a very strong provision in there that
said, we are not going to let local gov-
ernments defund law enforcement ...
and if you try to do it, we’re going to
fight back.”
The governor authorized the bo-
nuses in March, and they are in-
cluded in the 2021-22 Florida state
budget, which has yet to be signed.
However, the Florida Department
of Economic Opportunity (DEO) is
“working to immediately implement
this bonus program,” his office said
in a statement.
The DEO has allocated around
$208 million for the bonus program,
which includes 49,405 sworn law
enforcement officers, 40,732 emer-
gency medical technicians, 35,811
firefighters, and 33,185 paramedics
in the state.
Florida Chief Financial Officer and
State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis
said in a statement that, when the
outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Com-
munist Party) virus reached Florida,
“our first responders worked over-
time to protect our communities and
get people the care they so desper-
ately needed.”
“I say all the time that these men
and women work 24/7, 365 days a
year to protect our communities—
and they performed with honor and
distinction during this global pan-
demic,” Patronis said, adding that
the bonus “means a lot to these first
responders and their families who
had to live through this crisis.”
Real-time camera footage of Maricopa County, Ariz.’s large-scale audit of the 2020 election, in Phoenix.
DOJ Raises Concerns About
Maricopa County Election Audit
IVAN PENTCHOUKOV
The U.S. Department of Justice on
May 5 raised concerns about the
security of ballots and the poten-
tial for voter intimidation related
to the ongoing 2020 election audit
in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Pamela Karlan, principal depu-
ty assistant attorney general with
the DOJ’s civil rights division,
cited news reports to inquire,
in a letter to Arizona Senate
President Karen Fann, about
the custody of the ballots cur-
rently under review by a group of
private contractors. Karlan also
complained that a portion of the
audit work that involves canvass-
ing addresses on the ballots may
amount to “voter intimidation.”
“The first issue relates to a num-
ber of reports suggesting that the
ballots, elections systems, and
election materials that are the
subject of the Maricopa County
audit are no longer under the
ultimate control of state and lo-
cal elections officials, are not be-
ing adequately safeguarded by
contractors at an insecure facil-
ity, and are at risk of being lost,
stolen, altered, compromised, or
destroyed,” Karlan wrote, citing a
Rubio Leads Bipartisan Thrust Urging Biden to Fight
for Religious Freedom Worldwide
CONTINUED FROM A1
is one of deepening crisis with
government restrictions on re-
ligion rising to a record high.”
They cited Pew Research Cen-
ter’s 11th annual study of restric-
tions on religion, released in
November 2020, which shows
that government restrictions on
religion have reached the high-
est level globally in more than a
decade.
“Some countries in the Asia-
Pacific region saw all-time highs
in their overall government re-
strictions scores,” Pew Research
Center wrote in a note accompa-
nying the study. “This includes
China, which continued to have
the highest score on the Govern-
ment Restrictions Index (GRI) out
of all 198 countries and territories
in the study.”
Pew noted that the Chinese re-
gime “restricts religion in a vari-
ety of ways, including banning
entire religious groups (such as
the Falun Gong movement and
several Christian groups), pro-
hibiting certain religious prac-
tices, raiding places of worship
and detaining and torturing in-
dividuals.”
A 2020 State Department re-
port on human rights practices
in China found that using a
“broad definition of extrem-
ism,” Chinese authorities have
detained, since 2017, “more than
one million Uyghurs, ethnic Ka-
zakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Mus-
lims in ‘transformation through
pair of news articles as the source
for her assertions.
One of the articles Karlan cited
claims that there were security
lapses in the audit process. The
only evidence the article offered
were the opinions of a local Dem-
ocrat politician and a security ex-
pert, both of whom formed their
conclusions based on a video
prepared by a local news chan-
nel. The second and third articles
cited by Karlan were published in
January and February, before the
venue and the contractors for the
audit were selected.
Karlan also raised concerns
about a plan by one of the au-
dit contractors, Cyber Ninjas,
to verify the validity of certain
voter registrations with ques-
tionable addresses by dispatch-
ing people to verify whether the
voter lived at the address on the
registrations.
“This description of the pro-
posed work of the audit raises
concerns regarding potential
intimidation of voters. The De-
partment enforces a number of
federal statutes that prohibit in-
timidation of persons for voting
or attempting to vote,” Karlan
wrote, citing a section of the Vot-
DREW ANGERER/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
education’ centers, or detention
centers, designed to instill patri-
otism and erase their religious
and ethnic identities.”
In their letter, the lawmakers
noted “the ongoing genocide and
crimes against humanity against
Uyghur Muslims and other
members of ethnic and religious
groups in Xinjiang,” adding that
“China’s hostility toward religion
and people of faith extends to
Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong
practitioners, and Christians,
some of whom are unjustly im-
prisoned for their faith.”
Also, people of faith suffered
in the past year as governments
around the world used the CO-
VID-19 pandemic to justify reli-
gious persecution, according to
the U.S. Commission on Interna-
tional Religious Freedom’s 2021
annual report.
“In 2020, religious freedom
conditions in China deteriorat-
ed,” the commission wrote in
the report. The regime “intensi-
fied its ‘sinicization of religion’
SCREENSHOT VIA THE EPOCH TIMES
ing Rights Act that prohibits voter
intimidation.
“Past experience with simi-
lar investigative efforts around
the country has raised concerns
that they can be directed at mi-
nority voters, which potentially
can implicate the anti-intimida-
tion prohibitions of the Voting
Rights Act.
“Such investigative efforts can
have a significant intimidating
effect on qualified voters that can
deter them from seeking to vote
in the future.”
Fann’s office didn’t respond to
a request by The Epoch Times for
comment.
Arizona Secretary of State Katie
Hobbs, a Democrat who opposes
the audit, wrote on Twitter that
she’s “glad to finally see an en-
forcement agency ready to pro-
tect Arizona voters.”
“On the heels of my letter high-
lighting security shortfalls at the
‘audit’ and potential for voter in-
timidation, DOJ is raising those
same concerns, including that
ballots aren’t properly safeguard-
ed,” Hobbs said.
Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rog-
ers, a Republican, issued on Twit-
ter late on May 5 what appeared
Sen. Marco
Rubio
(R-Fla.) on
Capitol Hill
in Washing-
ton on Feb.
23, 2021.
policy,” which is a push to aggres-
sively consolidate Chinese Com-
munist Party (CCP) dominance
over faith groups and meld them
into the CCP.
Besides calling for the vacant
posts to be filled, the lawmakers
urged Biden to engage in various
religious freedom initiatives with
international partners.
“It is crucial that international
religious liberty remain a top
priority of United States foreign
policy,” they wrote.
The letter came on the same
day as the European Union’s
appointment of a new special
envoy for freedom of conscience
and belief. The nomination of
Christos Stylianides, formerly
the European commissioner for
Humanitarian Aid and Crisis
Management, was announced
on May 5 by Vice President of the
European Commission Margari-
tis Schinas, who wrote on Twit-
ter: “Freedom of religion or belief
is under attack in many parts of
the world. The appointment of
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
to be a warning in response to the
DOJ letter.
“‘Justice’ Department – you
need to stay in your lane. Do
not touch Arizona ballots or
machines unless you want to
spend time in an Arizona pris-
on,” she wrote.
This description
of the proposed
work of the audit
raises concerns
regarding potential
intimidation
of voters.
Pamela Karlan, principal dep-
uty assistant attorney general,
Civil Rights Division, DOJ
The Brennan Center for Justice
think tank and two other groups
asked the DOJ last week to send
monitors to observe the audit,
relaying concerns that auditors
were violating federal law.
“Specifically, we believe that
the senate and its agents, includ-
ing Cyber Ninjas, are 1) violating
their duty under federal law to
retain and preserve ballots cast
in a federal election, which are
and have been in danger of be-
ing stolen, defaced, or irretriev-
ably damaged, and 2) preparing
to engage in conduct which will
constitute unlawful voter intimi-
dation in violation of the Voting
Rights Act and other federal
laws,” Wendy Weiser, Elizabeth
Howard, and Hannah Klain from
the center at the New York Uni-
versity School of Law said.
But former Arizona Secretary
of State Ken Bennett, a Republi-
can tapped by Fann as the audit’s
liaison, told The Epoch Times
that the letter’s fundamental
assertions were “completely un-
founded.”
“We will be sending a rebuttal
letter I guess for lack of a better
word to the same people they sent
it to. We welcome DOJ or anyone
else to come see what’s really
happening, because the ballots
are secure, and there’s no risks or
any of the things that claim there
are,” he said.
The audit is taking place at the
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coli-
seum in Phoenix.
Mimi Nguyen Ly and Zachary
Stieber contributed to this report.
[Stylianides] ... shows we are de-
termined to protect the rights of
all faiths and beliefs.”
The Biden administration has
been criticized for backing away
from promoting religious free-
dom abroad after progress made
under Trump. In March, Secre-
tary of State Antony Blinken
overturned an executive order
signed under the Trump admin-
istration that required federal
agencies to “prioritize interna-
tional religious freedom in the
planning and implementation
of United States foreign policy.”
Blinken announced that the
Biden administration would
take a broader approach, which
includes a focus on the rights of
immigrants and refugees, vic-
tims of human trafficking, LG-
BTQ individuals, and women’s
access to abortion and birth
control. Blinken criticized the
Trump administration for what
he characterized as an “unbal-
anced” emphasis on religious
freedom over other concerns.
Olivia Enos, a senior policy
analyst at the Heritage Founda-
tion, told the International Chris-
tian Concern that focusing on
the broader human rights issue
would just “hamper its broader
foreign policy interests and hu-
man rights commitments.”
“I think it would be a huge mis-
take for the Biden administration
not to build momentum from the
work done by the Trump admin-
istration to promote religious
freedom.”
 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 NATION | A5

NFL Hires Former

FBI Raid Appears to Be ‘Political Retaliation’ Obama Official
as Senior VP of
Against Giuliani, Trump: Basham Communications
ANDREW KELLY/REUTERS
ZACHARY STIEBER IVAN PENTCHOUKOV

The FBI’s recent raid of Rudy The National Football League

Giuliani’s apartment and office
appears to be a form of retalia-
tion against him and one of his
clients, former President Donald
Trump, the Democracy Insti-
tute’s Patrick Basham says.
“From the outside, it appears
crystal clear that this is a po-
litical retaliation against Gi-
uliani and against Trump and
the Trump inner circle, more
broadly defined,” Basham, di-
rector of the think tank, told
NTD, part of Epoch Media
Group, in a recent interview.
FBI agents seized devices be-
longing to Giuliani in the April
28 raid, according to court filings.
Giuliani’s lawyer has said
the search warrants suggested
Giuliani illegally neglected to
register as a foreign agent. He
and Giuliani have disputed the
accusation.
The FBI declined to comment,
via email.
Basham said the FBI has in-
creasingly been used as a po-
litical tool in recent years, with
Trump and those close to him
bearing the brunt of the impact.
“What has happened with the
FBI clearly over the past several
years—at a minimum—is that
the FBI has been weaponized
for political purposes. In recent
years, that has been primarily
against Trump and those sur-
rounding him,” Basham said.
“What the FBI is trying to do
here is not I think so much get
Rudy Giuliani, but get compro-
mising information if it exists
on Donald Trump and others in
Trump’s inner circle, and most
importantly, to scare off, to warn
off anyone connected with Don-
ald Trump ... so that they steer
clear of him and they do not do or
say anything in public to support
the president.”
An officer from the New
York Police Department
places barricades outside the
apartment building of former
New York City Mayor Rudy
Giuliani, personal attorney
to former President Donald
Trump, in New York on April
28, 2021.
It appears crystal
clear that this is a
political retalia-
tion against
Giuliani and
against Trump
and the Trump
inner circle.
Patrick Basham, director,
Democracy Institute
Prosecutors in the case asked a
judge this week to appoint a spe-
cial master, or an outside judge,
to review the records seized from
Giuliani and another lawyer, Vic-
toria Toensing, in a bid to combat
accusations of political animus.
Quoting a judge who agreed to
appoint a special master after
agents raided Michael Cohen,
who at the time was a lawyer for
Trump, prosecutors said the ap-
pointment of a special master
would be “for the ‘perception of
fairness, not fairness itself.’”
Basham also reacted to New
York Times editor Dean Baquet
acknowledging the paper failed
to verify information from
anonymous sources in falsely
stating that Giuliani was briefed
by the FBI on allegedly being
the target of a Russian intelli-
gence operation.
The New York Times and two
other media outlets later cor-
rected their reporting on the
matter, though the misinforma-
tion still lingers.
“This is what happens when
the media don’t check their
sources, don’t drill down to the
details. And they just go with
allegations that are unproven,”
Basham told NTD.
“At a minimum, it’s malprac-
tice. We see again and again
the incompetence of main-
stream media outlets. Obvi-
ously, there’s a litany of errors
here. One would like to think,
if I can put it in these terms, it is
only about incompetence. But
the incompetence is so legion,
there are so many examples
over such a period of time,
especially towards President
Trump and those of his inner
circle, including Rudy Giuliani,
it’s hard after a while not to be-
come more cynical, and think
that this isn’t simply incompe-
tence—it might actually be con-
scious misinformation.”
MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES
has hired former Obama admin-
istration official Katie Hill as the
league’s senior vice president of
communications.
The hiring comes as
the NFL and other
U.S. major sports
leagues are growing
increasingly in-
volved in politics.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to
welcome someone of Katie’s tal-
ent to the NFL,” Jeff Miller, NFL’s
executive vice president of com-
munications, said in a statement.
“Her communications vision,
world-class strategic instincts, and
deep understanding of today’s dy-
namic media, digital, and cultural
landscape make her an excellent
fit for the League and our goals.”
Hill most recently worked cu-
rating former President Barack
Obama’s post-White House profile,
including efforts on his production
company and book. She has also
served as the former president’s
spokesperson.
The hiring comes as the NFL
and other U.S. major sports
leagues are becoming increas-
ingly more involved in politics,
tending to align ideologically
with the progressive wing of the
Democratic Party.
Hill served in the Obama admin-
istration from 2014 to 2017, starting
as the national press secretary for
health care at the Department of
Health and Human Services, be-
fore joining the White House in
2015 as assistant press secretary.
Hill, a native of Nashville, Ten-
nessee, graduated from the Uni-
versity of Virginia with a degree in
classical Greek. She’s relocating to
New York from Washington for the
NFL position.

US Sees Fewest Births Since Prior to joining the Obama ad-

ministration, Hill worked as the

1979: CDC Report press secretary for Rep. Jim Cooper

CONTINUED FROM A1
TFR has generally been below
replacement since 1971, accord-
ing to the CDC.
Births have been declining
in younger women for years, as
many have postponed mother-
hood and had smaller families.
Birth rates for women in their late
30s and in their 40s have been
inching up—but not in 2020.
“The fact that you saw declines
in births even for older moms is
quite striking,” said Brady Ham-
ilton of the CDC, the lead author
of the new report.
Data for  American Samoa,
Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Is-
lands weren’t available as of the
report’s release.
The CDC didn’t attribute the
overall decline to the COVID-19
pandemic, but experts have
predicted that pandemic-led
reasons including anxiety will
affect the country’s birth rate.
“The recent decline in birth
rates reflects both a longer-term
downward trend in birth rates
that was apparent prior to the
pandemic and pandemic-related
reduction,” said Lorna Thorpe,
director of epidemiology at
the Department of Population
Health at NYU Langone.
Shanna Swan, an epidemi-
ologist based at Icahn School
of Medicine at Mount Sinai in
New York City, suggests in a new
New parents and their newborn in the postpartum unit at Providence St.
Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., on March 30, 2021.
book published earlier this year
that endocrine disruptors may
be contributing to a decline in
sperm counts over recent de-
cades, thereby playing a role in
declining fertility rates across
the globe.
The Associated Press and
Reuters contributed to this report.
(D-Tenn.) from 2011 to 2013, as well
as other roles in the private sector
and on a political campaign.
“Some news, as the kids say ...
after four exhilarating years in
[Barack Obama’s] office in DC,
heading to NYC for a great new ad-
venture [with the NFL]. Bittersweet
to leave Obama-world but ready for
some [football]!!!” Hill commented
about her new job on Twitter, sub-
stituting football emojis in place of
the word.
A number of people congratu-
lated Hill on her new role.
“The [NFL] just grabbed one of
the most effective communicators
in the business. Whip smart, crazy
creative, super strategic, always
thoughtful, and a wonderful hu-
man being,” Eric Schultz, a senior
Obama adviser, wrote on Twitter.

THINK
THE EPOCH TIMES
BUT FOR TV
News without spin, for you to
form your own opinion.

GET NTD ON TV WATCH US ONLINE PAUL GREANEY TIFFANY MEIER STEFANIA COX KEVIN HOGAN
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and Deep Dive Evening News News Today
A6 | NATION
Louisiana Senate Rejects Bill Allowing Social Media
Companies to Be Sued for Limiting Speech
JANITA KAN
A bill that would allow Louisiana
residents to sue social media com-
panies for deleting or limiting reli-
gious or political speech has failed
to advance in the state Senate.
The proposal, known as Senate
Bill 196, would also have allowed
legal actions against social media
companies with more than 75 mil-
lion users that use an algorithm to
disfavor or censor a user’s religious
or political speech. The bill could
have allowed a user in the state to
claim actual and punitive dam-
ages of up to $75,000.
Under the proposal, users don’t
have a cause of action when a
social media company takes ac-
tions against hate speech, calls for
violence, obscene or pornographic
content, or operational errors.
The bill could have
allowed a user in
the state to claim
actual and punitive
damages of up
to $75,000.
The Republican-controlled Sen-
ate on May 4 voted 19–18 for the
bill, falling one vote short of the 20-
vote majority needed to advance
the measure to the House; a simi-
lar bill has also failed to garner the
required support in the House. The
bill was reconsidered on May 5 and
has been returned to the calendar
for further action or consideration
at a later time.
Republicans and conservatives
across the nation are champion-
Texas Senate
Approves
Permitless
Carry of
Handguns
JANITA KAN
The Texas Senate approved a bill
on May 5 that would allow eligible
residents 21 years and older to car-
ry a holstered handgun, openly or
concealed, without a permit, also
known as constitutional carry.
House Bill 1927 passed the Re-
publican-led Senate in an 18–13
vote following a lengthy debate
and will now head back to the
House to debate amendments
and settle differences between
the two chambers’ versions. The
House had passed the measure in
mid-April.
Gov. Greg Abbott has previously
signaled that he’s supportive of
such a measure and told WBAP’s
Rick Roberts last week that he was
willing to sign it.
“Once the Senate passes it out,
the House and Senate will convene
and work out any differences and
get it to my desk and I’ll be signing
it,” Abbott said.
Under current Texas law, resi-
dents are required to obtain a
permit to carry handguns. To ob-
tain the permit, applicants must
complete classroom training,
pass a written exam, submit fin-
gerprints, and pass a proficiency
demonstration.
Republicans say the proposed
law will help remove some barri-
ers for Lone Star State residents to
carry a handgun and hence save
them time and money.
State Sen. Charles Schwertner
previously defended the bill at a
committee meeting following the
House’s passage of the measure.
“Right now, we have the license
to carry—the LTC—and it is a hur-
dle for some individuals to avail
themselves of their constitutional
ing legal measures to combat what
they see as unfair moderation and
censorship of conservative speech
on social media. This comes after
multiple Big Tech companies such
as Facebook and Twitter increased
policing of user speech, in particu-
lar during the lead-up to the 2020
election and following the Jan. 6
breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Former President Donald
Trump’s accounts have been per-
manently suspended on Twitter
and banned on Facebook because
the social media companies de-
cided that Trump’s posts violated
their content standards.
Bills similar to Louisiana’s have
been introduced in other states,
but none have been enacted.
Meanwhile, some Republican-led
states have also proposed other
measures to  prevent Big Tech
companies from using their mo-
nopoly to police speech they don’t
agree with.
For example,  Florida  pro-
posed that it would seek to pe-
nalize social media companies
that de-platform candidates dur-
ing an election. The legislation
would fine companies $100,000
a day until the candidate’s access
is restored. Texas is consider-
ing similar legislation.
The Louisiana bill, introduced
by Sen. Jay Morris (R-West Mon-
roe), advanced to a Senate com-
mittee last week.
In defending the bill, Morris told
the committee that the legislation
would protect “freedom to express
one’s political and religious opin-
ions without having a building full
of people in California deciding
what the American public, in par-
ticular the Lousiana public, can
see or hear or write about.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference at the state Capitol in
Austin on May 18, 2020.
LOREN ELLIOTT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
right to keep and bear arms, and I
think that is a hurdle that should
be removed. That’s what this bill
does,” he said.
Opponents of the law, including
state Democrats, have expressed
concerns that the proposed bill
would allow individuals to obtain
a handgun without appropriate
training or background checks.
Some members of law enforce-
ment have also expressed con-
cerns about the bill.
Austin Police Interim Chief Jo-
seph Chacon said at a press con-
ference last week that he believes
the proposed law would “make
our streets less safe and will make
law enforcement’s jobs harder.”
“Guns are easier to obtain than
ever before, and it has become
more common for people to use
them. Weakening training regula-
tions and effectively eliminating
training requirements is not the
direction that we should be going
CHRIS GRAYTHEN/GETTY IMAGES
Chris Sevier, a supporter of the
bill and a lawyer, provided tes-
timony at the hearing, arguing
that Morris’s bill was the solution
to perceived censorship by social
media companies. He argued that
LYNDA M. GONZALEZ-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
Firearms in an
exhibit hall at
the Kay Bailey
Hutchison Con-
vention Cen-
ter during the
National Rifle
Association’s
annual conven-
tion, in Dallas on
May 6, 2018.
right now,” Chacon said.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who pre-
viously expressed worry that the
Senate lacked the votes to pass
the measure, issued a statement
on May 5 welcoming the passage.
“I am proud that the Texas Sen-
ate passed House Bill 1927 today,
the Constitutional Carry bill,
which affirms every Texan’s right
to self-defense and our state’s
strong support for our Second
Amendment right to bear arms.
In the Lone Star State, the Consti-
tution is our permit to carry,” Pat-
rick said.
The National Rifle Association
had previously expressed sup-
port for the measure, saying in a
statement that “it’s time for Texas
to join the 20 other states that have
legalized this personal protection
option.”
Last month, Tennessee Gov. Bill
Lee signed into law his state’s ver-
sion of a permitless carry measure.
The Louisiana Capitol in Baton Rouge
on April 17, 2020.
Section 230 of the Communica-
tions Decency Act, a federal stat-
ute, allows for states to create laws
to defeat an immunity defense,
commonly referred to as the Sec-
tion 230 immunity defense, which
provides social media companies
that don’t act as publishers with a
shield from civil action.
Morris didn’t immediately re-
spond to a request by The Epoch
Times for comment.
Opponents of the bill argue that
the measure is unconstitutional
and violates federal law. Eric Pe-
terson, the director of the Peli-
can Center for Technology and
Tennessee Legislature Bans Critical
Race Theory in Public Schools
JACK PHILLIPS
The Tennessee Legislature ap-
proved a measure that bans the
Marxist-inspired critical race
theory from being taught in the
state’s public and charter schools.
The legislation prohibits teach-
ing students that any race or sex
is superior to any other or that an
individual is “inherently privi-
leged, racist, sexist, or oppressive”
due to their race or sex. It also for-
bids teachers from instructing
students that the United States
is inherently sexist or racist, and
it also bans teaching that the U.S.
government should be violently
overthrown.
Generally, critical race the-
ory  redefines U.S. history by
claiming that the nation was built
through the struggle between
“oppressors,” typically white
people, and the “oppressed,” or
various minorities—similarly to
Marxism’s reduction of human
history to a struggle between
the “bourgeoisie” and the “pro-
letariat.”
State Rep. John Ragan said that
proponents of critical race theory
are engaging in the “pursuit of
political” power by advancing
their agenda.
“We have much work left for
our children to be able to real-
ize the full promise of our na-
tion. To fulfill that promise, our
children must be educated, that
they stand as individuals, equal
before our laws as they will one
day stand before the Creator,”
Ragan, a Republican, said on
the floor of the Assembly on
May 4. “They must learn their
identity is defined by the con-
tent of their character, not the
color of the skin, their sex, eth-
nicity, or membership in some
social class.”
State Sen. Brian Kelsey, a Re-
publican, noted that the theory
posits that the “rule of law does
not exist,” only political power.
“That is the very definition of
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
DENIS CHARLET/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Innovation, argued in the com-
mittee hearing that the bill isn’t a
targeted solution to deal with the
issue of censorship but instead
would create a slew of problems
for Louisiana.
He argued that websites that
were not intended to be targeted
by this bill such as eBay, Amazon,
and Spotify may also be caught in
the language of the proposed law.
A number of antitrust investiga-
tions into digital giant companies
are underway. The Justice Depart-
ment previously said they have
opened antitrust probes into ma-
jor digital technology firms and
have filed a lawsuit against
Google over  anti-competitive
allegations. Similarly, Texas has
also filed its own antitrust lawsuit
against Google.
critical race theory,” Kelsey said.
“I was subject to this teaching 20
years ago in law school and know
it very well, and that is the very
definition of it.”
Republican Gov. Bill Lee is ex-
pected to sign the measure into
law. He hasn’t vetoed a bill since
he took office.
Democrats voiced opposition
to the bill, claiming that it would
promote revisionist history.
“I do not cast blame, but I think
we do have to admit that slavery
did occur,” state Sen. Brenda
Gilmore, a Democrat, told her
colleagues. “It was a dark pe-
riod in our history. We have to
acknowledge the wrongs of our
society, even when it’s a difficult
conversation to have.”
However, the bill doesn’t men-
tion slavery and allows for the
teaching of the “historical op-
pression of a particular group of
people based on race, ethnicity,
class, nationality, religion, or geo-
graphic region.”
Other states are considering or
have passed similar measures
that prevent the instruction of
critical race theory in the class-
room, such as the Oklahoma
Legislature, which voted to pass
a similar bill last week.
Janita Kan contributed
to this report.
MICHAEL LOCCISANO/GETTY IMAGES
Students file into a classroom, in
this file photo.
 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
Gov. Noem Signs
Pledge to Restore
‘Patriotic Education’
in Schools
MASOOMA HAQ
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem
said she signed a pledge this week
that aims to restore “patriotic ed-
ucation” as liberals push critical
race theory in the school curricu-
lum. Republicans such as Noem
have criticized the race-based cur-
riculum for sowing division and
hate, and teaching anti-American
values to students.
Republicans have
criticized the race-
based curriculum
for sowing division
and hate.
In a Twitter post earlier this week,
Noem said she’s signed on to a
promise called “The 1776 Pledge
to Save Our Schools.”
“Teaching our children & grand-
children to hate their own country
& pitting them against one another
on the basis of race or sex is shame-
ful & must be stopped. I’m proud to
be the 1st candidate in America to
sign ‘The 1776 Pledge to Save Our
Schools,” Noem wrote.
The  pledge signed by Noem
promises to take steps to restore
“honest, patriotic education that
cultivates in our children a pro-
found love for our country,” and
teach “that all children are created
equal, have equal moral value un-
der God, our Constitution, and the
law.” It will also “prohibit any cur-
riculum that pits students against
one another on the basis of race
or sex,” and “prevent schools from
politicizing education.”
“In partnership with [1776 Ac-
tion], [Ben Carson] is helping to
stop this woke, anti-American
Twitter Says Account Suspension
of Stefanik’s Press Aide Was an ‘Error’
TOM OZIMEK
Twitter has restored the account of
Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-N.Y.) com-
munications director after briefly
suspending it in “error,” although
the press aide, Karoline Leavitt,
insists it was a “purge in their on-
going effort to silence conserva-
tives voices.”
The account of Leavitt, who
served as an assistant White House
press secretary in the Trump ad-
ministration, went offline on May
5, prompting Stefanik—her current
boss—to accuse the social media
company of “unconstitutional
overreach” and of silencing “our
voices and freedom of speech.”
“BIG TECH on the MOVE! Twit-
ter just suspended my Communi-
cations Director,” Stefanik wrote
in a tweet. “An unconstitutional
overreach SILENCING our voices
and freedom of speech. Republi-
cans are united in fighting back
against Big Tech’s tyranny. Millions
of Americans will not be silenced!”
The account “was suspended in
error,” a Twitter spokesperson told
The Hill, adding that the move “has
been reversed, and the account has
been reinstated.”
Leavitt took to Twitter to an-
nounce that she’s been “released
from Twitter’s Conservative Jail,”
but pushed back against the notion
that it was an accident.
“This was not an ‘error,’ as Twitter
claimed. This was another purge
in their ongoing effort to silence
conservatives voices!” she wrote.
“We cannot back down to Big Tech
Giants! Our movement is too im-
portant!”
Twitter didn’t immediately
respond to a request by The Ep-
indoctrination at the state and lo-
cal level & this pledge is a vital tool
for clarity & accountability,” Noem
wrote in the Twitter post.
Noem penned an opinion piece
for Fox News with former Housing
and Urban Development Secre-
tary Ben Carson on May 3, dubbing
critical race theory a “radical con-
cept” and writing that the curricu-
lum “pits them against one another
on the basis of race and gender un-
der the guise of achieving ‘equity.’”
The organization 1776 Action was
created to counter ideas such as
critical race theory and advocate
for education based on former
President Donald Trump’s 1776
Commission, which was created
to bring back the teaching of the
founding documents.
The governor’s announcement
comes as Republicans across the
nation are trying to prevent the
teaching of critical race theory,
and are expressing concern about
the Biden administration priori-
tizing the funding of educational
programs that incorporate the
ideas of the 1619 Project into their
teaching of U.S. history and civics,
reorienting bipartisan programs
“away from their intended pur-
poses toward a politicized and
divisive agenda.”
In a proposed new rule released
April 19, the Education Depart-
ment outlined new priority cri-
teria for a $5.3 million American
History and Civics Education
grant, as well as exemplary ma-
terials for K–12 educators to use.
Specifically, the Education De-
partment cited the “1619 Project,”
and critical race theorist Ibram X.
Kendi’s “antiracist idea” as leading
examples of the kind of content
it wants to use taxpayer dollars
to promote in history and civics
classrooms across the country.
The “1619 Project,” inaugurated
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 20, 2019.
och Times for comment about
Leavitt’s claim.
Speaking to Fox News, Leavitt
suggested the suspension had
something to do with her following
multiple conservative accounts.
“The only reason I can think that
Twitter would have suspended me
is that I followed several Republi-
can members of Congress and
GOP activists at once last night,
and within minutes, my account
had been suspended,” Leavitt told
the outlet.
Stefanik, who was recently en-
dorsed by Trump to replace Rep.
Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as the House
Republican Conference chair,
remained unconvinced that the
lockout of her communications
director was an accident.
Reacting to a tweet by CNN cor-
respondent Donie O’Sullivan,
who noted the Twitter spokes-
person’s “error” remarks, Stefanik
wrote, “Why does this ONLY hap-
pen to conservatives?! Absolutely
outrageous. Because Big Tech is
A classroom session at Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Ky., on March 17, 2021.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem addresses the Conservative Political Action
Conference, held in the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, on Feb. 27, 2021.
with a special issue of The New
York Times Magazine, attempts
to cast the Atlantic slave trade as
the dominant factor in the found-
ing of America instead of ideals
such as individual liberty and
natural rights. The initiative has
been widely panned by historians
and political scientists, with some
critics calling it a bid to rewrite U.S.
history through a left-wing lens.
Thirty-seven Republicans led by
Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mc-
Connell (R-Ky.) on May 6 penned
a letter to Education Secretary
ERIN SCHAFF-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
corrupt. That’s why.”
O’Sullivan remarked in a follow-
up tweet that it “really doesn’t help
Big Tech’s argument that they are
not censors of the right when ap-
parent errors like this happen.”
Conservatives have long held
that Big Tech is silencing voices of
those on the right. In a recent case,
government watchdog group Judi-
cial Watch claims that Iowa state
officials worked with Big Tech last
year to censor posts related to the
2020 election.
Judicial Watch’s claim is based
on 624 pages of records it received
from the office of the Secretary of
State of Iowa as a result of a June
2020 open records lawsuit filed by
the watchdog.
“These records are yet another ex-
ample of state officials conspiring
with Big Tech to deny Americans
their First Amendment rights,”
Judicial Watch President Tom Fit-
ton said in a statement.
Iowa officials didn’t immediately
respond to a request for comment.
JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
Miguel Cardona urging him to
remove the 1619 Project from fed-
eral grant programs, arguing that
it skews American history for divi-
sive political ends.
“Our nation’s youth do not need
activist indoctrination that fix-
ates solely on past flaws and splits
our nation into divided camps.
Taxpayer-supported programs
should emphasize the shared civic
virtues that bring us together, not
push radical agendas that tear us
apart,” McConnell and his GOP
colleagues wrote in the letter.
Rep. Cuellar Disputes DHS Photos
of Nearly Empty Migrant Facility
JACK PHILLIPS
A Texas Democrat who has been
critical of the White House’s im-
migration policies said that re-
cent photos from Border Patrol
facilities in southern Texas are
misleading.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas)
suggested that the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS),
which operates the Border Patrol
facilities, is falsely creating the
impression that a site in Donna,
Texas, is being emptied of unac-
companied children. He said the
youths have been simply moved
to a nearby facility that’s operated
by the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS).
“All they’re doing is they’re
moving kids from one tent to
the other tent and saying, ‘Oh,
they’re not in the Border Patrol
[custody],’” Cuellar told Border
Report.
The DHS says the children are
in HHS custody but declined to
disclose the location, according
to Border Report. Officials at DHS
didn’t immediately respond to
The Epoch Times for comment.
The agency said the recent pho-
tos “demonstrate the tremendous
progress that DHS and its part-
ners have made to safely and ef-
ficiently transfer these children
out of CBP custody and into the
care of HHS.”
Photos released May 4 by the
Biden administration show the
Donna facility nearly empty, in
contrast to photos released in
March that showed throngs of
youths being packed tightly into
the facility.
White House press secretary
Jen Psaki says unaccompanied
NATION | A7
JON CHERRY/GETTY IMAGES
Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of
the 1619 Project, responded to the
GOP criticism of the project during
an interview with MSNBC on May
3, saying the 1619 curriculum be-
ing allowed in schools is a matter
of free speech.
“This isn’t a project about trying
to teach children that our coun-
try is evil, but it is a project trying
to teach children the truth about
what our country was based upon,
and it’s only in really confronting
that truth—slavery was founda-
tional to the United States, we, after
the slavery, experienced 100 years
of legalized discrimination against
black Americans,” said Hannah-
Jones. “Mitch McConnell and oth-
ers like him want for our children
to get a propagandistic, nationalis-
tic understanding of history that is
not about facts, but it is about how
they would want to pretend that
our country is.”
Mary Grabar, author of the up-
coming book “Debunking the
1619 Project: Exposing the Plan to
Divide America,” told Epoch TV’s
“Crossroads” program that the
controversial 1619 Project skews
American history for divisive po-
litical ends.
Tom Ozimek contributed
to this report.
minors are spending less time in
federal processing facilities.
“The amount of time children
spend in [Border Patrol] cus-
tody is down 75 percent, from
131 hours at the end of March to
under 30 hours now,” Psaki told
reporters this week.
In March, immigration agents
apprehended over 172,000 indi-
viduals seeking to illegally enter
the United States. According to
the latest report by U.S. Customs
and Border Protection, more than
351,800 encounters were made
in the first three months of 2021,
compared to 107,700 during the
same period in 2020.
Republicans, including Arizona
Gov. Doug Ducey, have said Presi-
dent Joe Biden is sending mixed
messages on immigration and
have called on the president to
reinstate Trump-era policies to
stem the tide of illegal migration
into the United States.
“If you want to stop the disas-
ter that’s unfolding here and
will only get worse in the com-
ing months, President Biden,
you should declare a national
emergency and deploy the vast
powers of your administration
to stop what’s happening here,”
Ducey said during a news con-
ference last week in Yuma, Ari-
zona.
Since taking office, Biden has
halted the construction of the
border wall, ended the Migrant
Protection Protocols, and lim-
ited Immigration and Customs
Enforcement enforcement priori-
ties. Last month, the Department
of Defense, meanwhile, canceled
wall projects that were financed
with funds that were initially al-
located for the military.
A8 | NATION
Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs GOP-Backed Election
Bill Limiting Mail-In Voting, Drop Boxes
JACK PHILLIPS
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on May
6 signed a Republican-backed
election integrity law that places
restrictions on ballot drop boxes
and mail-in ballots.
When signing the bill, the Re-
publican governor said it would
place Florida ahead of other states
in preventing any potential voter
fraud.
“Right now I have what we think
is the strongest election integrity
measures in the country,” he said.
“We’re also banning ballot har-
vesting. We’re not going to let polit-
ical operatives go and get satchels
of votes and dump them in some
dropbox.”
The bill would require signature
verification for voters; use a “wet
signature” physically signed on
paper kept on file; revise distance
limits for people at polling places,
early voting sites, and related sites;
have election workers monitor bal-
lot drop boxes; and include more
identification requirements for
dropping off ballots.
The legislation would place lim-
its on who can return a finished
mail-in ballot and prevent election
officials from entering consent
agreements; it would also require
voters to submit yearly requests
for mail-in ballots, according to
the text of the bill.
“Drop boxes must be geographi-
cally located so as to provide all
voters in the county with an equal
opportunity to cast a ballot,” the
bill states, adding that they “must
be monitored in person.”
The “prohibition on the use of
private funds for election-related
expenses” is an apparent response
to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrest an illegal alien from
Mexico during a raid in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., on April
11, 2018.
ICE Deportations Hit Record
Low in AprilICE Deportations
Hit Record Low in April
SAMUEL ALLEGRI
The number of deportations carried
out by Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) in April has hit
a record low, the agency told The
Epoch Times on May 6.
The figure comes amidst a 20-year
record-high number of illegal bor-
der crossings.
ICE completed 2,962 deportations
last month, not including Title 42
expulsions, a reflection of the re-
strictions that the Biden adminis-
tration has placed on the agency.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) has concen-
trated its limited law enforcement
resources on threats to national se-
curity, border security, and public
safety,” an ICE spokesperson told
The Epoch Times via email.
“This has allowed ICE to focus on
the quality of enforcement actions
and how they further the security
and safety of our communities
rather than the simple quantity of
arrests and removals.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protec-
tion released an operational up-
date in April that stated more than
and other groups having provided
funding to some states and locals
last year to help run elections. Re-
publicans have expressed concern
that the funding mostly targeted
Democrat-aligned areas and hurt
the GOP.
“Me signing this bill here says:
‘Florida, your vote counts. Your
vote is going to cast with integrity
and transparency, and this is a
great place for democracy,’” De-
Santis said on May 6.
Several Democrat-aligned
groups, corporate news outlets,
and corporations panned the bill
as being unfairly restrictive, while
the NAACP and Common Cause
have stated they would immedi-
ately file a lawsuit in court alleg-
ing that it disenfranchises black,
Latino, and disabled people.
“We’re actively trying to suppress
people’s right to vote,” Democratic
state Rep. Michele Rayner said on
April 28 on the state House floor,
alleging the measure would be the
“revival of Jim Crow in this state,”
without elaborating or providing
evidence for the claim.
Democrats have been unilater-
ally opposed to the election mea-
sures signed by DeSantis and
Republican Georgia Gov. Brian
Kemp, as well as bills that are
currently being debated in Texas
and Arizona. After Kemp signed
Georgia’s bill several weeks ago,
multinational corporations such
as Delta and Coca-Cola—and their
CEOs—echoed claims made by
Democrats saying the bill would
disenfranchise minority voters,
prompting calls from Republican
lawmakers to reject funding from
such companies.
Kemp and Republicans also said
that Democratic talking points
JOHN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES
Arizona and Mon-
tanna took legal
action in March in
order to halt the
Biden administra-
tion’s new immigra-
tion regulations.
172,000 illegal immigrants were
apprehended in March along the
Southwest border.
Compared to February, March
saw a 100 percent increase of un-
accompanied minors from Cen-
tral America—18,890, the agency
stated.
“ICE continues to implement the
civil immigration enforcement pri-
orities directed by the U.S. Depart-
ment of Homeland Security (DHS)
on Jan. 20, to focus our limited re-
sources on threats to national se-
curity, border security and public
safety,” the spokesperson wrote.
“ICE will continue to carry out
its duty to enforce the laws of the
United States in accordance with
Voters wait in line to cast their early ballots in Miami on Oct. 19, 2020.
Right now I have
what we think is
the strongest
election integrity
measures in the
country.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
the Department’s national security
and public safety mission.”
Last week, as part of a court-or-
dered finding related to a lawsuit
Arizona and Montana filed against
the DHS, Arizona Attorney General
Mark Brnovich’s office announced
that they acquired internal docu-
ments and emails from the federal
government that “convey a shock-
ing disregard for the safety of Amer-
ican communities by the Biden Ad-
ministration,” said Brnovich. “The
Biden Administration and its radi-
cal allies are effectively abolishing
ICE through administrative acts.”
Administrative records discov-
ered as part of the lawsuit against
DHS and ICE officials resulted in
5,000 pages of records, out of which
only 170 weren’t redacted.
Arizona and Montana are the first
states to find the information.
His office stated that the states
are “challenging DHS’s interim
guidance that presumptively halts
nearly all deportations outside of
three narrow categories.”
The two states took legal action
in March in order to halt the Biden
administration’s new immigra-
tion regulations, which they claim
would cause an adverse effect on
the states.
According to Brnovich’s office,
emails in the records disclose that
a high-ranking ICE official said the
new policy would cause an approxi-
mately 50 percent decrease in ICE
arrests.
In addition, other data pointed out
that the policy could lead to felons
convicted of “murder, kidnapping,
assault, sexual assault, weapons,
and other serious charges” being
set free into communities.
The DHS didn’t respond to a re-
quest for comment by press time.
SAMIRA BOUAOU/THE EPOCH TIMES
The ICE Homeland Security Investi-
gations logo.
about the Georgia bill were mis-
leading, saying, “It’s easier to vote
in Georiga” with the new law “than
it is in New York.”
Minutes after DeSantis signed
the bill, election attorney Marc
Elias said his team filed a lawsuit
challenging the bill on behalf of
the League of Women Voters of
Florida, the Black Voters Matter
Fund, and the Florida Alliance for
Retired Americans.
“SB 90 does not impede all
of Florida’s voters equally,” the
lawsuit alleged. “It is crafted to
and will operate to make it more
difficult for certain types of vot-
ers to participate in the state’s
elections, including those voters
South Carolina House Votes to Add
Firing Squad as Execution Method
ISABEL VAN BRUGEN
The South Carolina House voted
on May 5 to add firing squads as
an alternative execution meth-
od for the state’s death-row in-
mates, amid a lack of lethal in-
jection drugs.
The bill, approved by a 66–43
vote, will require condemned
inmates to choose either being
shot or electrocuted if lethal in-
jection drugs aren’t available.
The state is one of only nine to
still use the electric chair and
will become only the fourth to
allow firing squads.
Currently, South Carolina isn’t
able to place inmates on death
row as its supply of lethal injection
drugs has expired, and it hasn’t
been able to purchase more be-
cause of a nationwide shortage.
The state last conducted an execu-
tion in May 2011.
Condemned inmates are cur-
rently able to choose between the
electric chair and lethal injec-
tion, and since the drugs aren’t
available, many have chosen the
lethal injection method as the
state is then unable to force in-
mates to be executed by means
of electrocution.
The bill keeps lethal injection
if the state has the drugs but
requires prison officials to use
the electric chair if it doesn’t.
Inmates could choose a firing
squad if they prefer.
The state has been unable to
LOGAN CYRUS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
who generally wish to vote with
a vote-by-mail ballot and voters
who have historically had to over-
come substantial hurdles to reach
the ballot box, such as Florida’s
senior voters, youngest voters,
and minority voters.”
But conservative groups praised
the measure.
“Governor DeSantis has led the
fight for election integrity reforms
in Florida every step of the way. We
applaud the governor for signing
SB 90 this morning, a strong bill
that will ensure it remains easy to
vote and hard to cheat in the Sun-
shine State,” Jessica Anderson, the
executive director of Heritage Ac-
tion, said in a May 6 statement.
purchase lethal injection drugs
for about five years, as drug man-
ufacturers seek to limit how their
products are used. As a result,
two scheduled executions have
been pushed back.
The state Senate approved the
bill in March, with a bipartisan
group of lawmakers voting 32–
11 to give it a second reading. The
House only made minor technical
changes to that version, meaning
that after a routine final vote in
the House and a signoff by the
Senate, it will go to Republican
Gov. Henry McMaster, who has
said he’ll sign it.
To date, there are 37 inmates on
death row in the state.
Former President Donald
Trump repeatedly expressed sup-
port for capital punishment and
restarted the practice at the fed-
eral level last year after a 17-year
hiatus. Trump argued that execu-
tions serve as an effective deter-
rent and an appropriate punish-
ment for some crimes, including
mass shootings and the killings
of police officers.
President Joe Biden, meanwhile,
is the first sitting U.S. president to
openly oppose the death penalty
and has discussed potentially in-
structing the Justice Department
to stop scheduling new execu-
tions, according to The Associ-
ated Press.
The Associated Press contributed
to this report.
The Lee
Correctional
Institution, in
Bishopville,
S.C., on April
16, 2018.
 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
A Long March 5B rocket, which is expected to launch China’s Tianhe space station core module on April 29, at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site
in southern China’s Hainan Province on April 23, 2021.
US Tracking China Rocket Debris That
May Reenter Atmosphere in Days
NICOLE HAO
The U.S. Space Command is tracking de-
bris from a Chinese rocket that sent part
of a planned space station into orbit last
week and may reenter Earth’s atmosphere
this weekend, the White House said on
May 5.
The debris comes from the Long March
5B rocket launched on April 29 to deliver
a new roughly 25-ton module for China’s
Tianhe space station. The debris has since
reached orbital velocity, meaning it’s cir-
cling the planet instead of falling back
to Earth within a predetermined area as
usually happens with the debris from U.S.
launches.
We want to work with
the international com-
munity to promote lead-
ership and responsible
space behaviors.
Jen Psaki,
White House press secretary
Losing its ability to restart its engines, the
debris is tumbling on a trajectory toward
Earth at more than 17,000 miles per hour
and its reentry point can’t be accurately
predicted yet.
“Its exact entry point into the Earth’s
atmosphere cannot be pinpointed until
within hours of its reentry, which is ex-
pected around May 8,” U.S. Department of
Defense spokesman Mike Howard said in
Beijing
‘Indefinitely’
Suspends High-
Level Economic
Dialogue With
Australia
DANIEL Y. TENG
The Chinese regime has “indefinitely”
suspended all future activities under the
China-Australia Strategic Economic Dia-
logue, following last month’s termination
of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) agree-
ment by Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
While the move has been publicized by
several Chinese state-owned media sourc-
es, one expert has called the action mere
“symbolism.”
On May 6, the Chinese regime’s National
Development and Reform Commission
(NDRC) claimed in a statement: “Recently,
some Australian Commonwealth govern-
ment officials launched a series of mea-
a statement on May 4. “We will provide ad-
ditional information as it becomes avail-
able.”
“The United States is committed to ad-
dressing the risks of growing congestion
due to space debris and growing activity
in space and we want to work with the in-
ternational community to promote lead-
ership and responsible space behaviors,”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said
at a news briefing.
The debris, measuring 98 feet (30 meters)
long and 16 feet (5 meters) wide, will par-
tially burn up as it collides with molecules
while reentering Earth’s atmosphere.
Because the module’s orbital inclination
is 41.5 degrees, the debris is anticipated to
reenter the atmosphere in a range some-
where between a little farther north than
New York, Madrid, and Beijing, and as far
south as southern Chile or Wellington,
New Zealand.
The Long March 5 series is China’s most
powerful rocket and has been launched
seven times in history. The Wenchang
Space Launch Center in southern China’s
Hainan Province is its official launch cen-
ter.
The Chinese regime announced the
launch on April 29 as a success.
This isn’t the first time debris from Chi-
nese space missions has fallen uncontrol-
lably back to Earth.
In 2017, a Long March 5B rocket had a
failed launch after one of two core engines
failed shortly after take-off, Chinese state
media reported. The rocket fell back to
Earth from the atmosphere.
In 2018, China’s Tiangong-1 defunct
space station reentered the earth’s atmo-
sphere and mostly burned up over the
WILLIAM WEST/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Coal operations at the Port of Newcastle in the
state of New South Wales, Australia, on Nov.
18. 2015.
sures to disrupt the normal exchanges and
cooperation between China and Australia
out of a Cold War mindset and ideological
discrimination.
“Based on the current attitude of the
Australian Commonwealth government
toward China-Australia cooperation, the
NDRC of the People’s Republic of China
has decided to indefinitely suspend all ac-
tivities under the framework of the China-
Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue.”
That dialogue was established in 2013
under the former Gillard government by
Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Trade Min-
ister Craig Emerson.
STR/CHINA NEWS SERVICE (CNS)/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
A Long March 5B rocket, carrying China’s
Tianhe space station core module, lifts off from
the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south-
ern China’s Hainan Province on April 29, 2021.
middle of the South Pacific near Tahiti,
which likely created a “gorgeous and mag-
nificent” show, the Chinese space author-
ity reported.
Last year, another Chinese Long March
5B rocket fitted with a prototype version
of China’s next-generation crew capsule
tumbled back to earth. It was the largest
object to fall out of orbit in decades.
The Chinese regime is preparing to send
a crewed spaceship—Shenzhou 12—to
dock with the Tianhe in June. Chinese
media reported on April 15 that the Long
March 2F rocket and the spacecraft were
shipped to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch
Center in northwestern China’s Gansu
Province to be readied for the launch.
The third and last meeting held under the
dialogue was in 2017, when Prime Minister
Scott Morrison—then serving as treasur-
er—met with Chinese investors and NDRC
Chair He Lifeng.
Despite the suspension, China will likely
continue to buy large quantities of Austra-
lian iron ore, which has seen prices balloon
to 10-year highs.
Further, dialogue between Australian
ministers and their Chinese counterparts
has been largely non-existent over the past
year, as Beijing’s trade war against Austra-
lia ran its course.
Meanwhile, the NDRC has also been a
key driver behind the BRI. In 2018 and 2019,
the state body signed two BRI agreements
with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.
These agreements were cancelled by
Payne last month, with the foreign minister
calling them inconsistent with Australia’s
“foreign policy” objectives. The BRI has
been accused of being a “trojan horse” de-
signed to leave developing countries heavi-
ly indebted due to predatory loan practices.
In response to the agreement cancella-
tions, the Chinese Embassy in Canberra
said the move was “unreasonable and
provocative.” Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Wang Wenbin urged Austra-
CHINA | A9
4 Hong Kong
Democracy Activists
Sentenced to More
Than 4 Years in Jail
CONTINUED FROM A1
old programmer; and Kwok Siu-kam,
a 24-year-old social work assistant—to
jail terms of more than four years. They
were convicted even without evidence
of violent acts, SCMP reported.
The judge, who ruled that even non-
violent participants at the scene shared
culpability, found the three guilty of riot-
ing, claiming that their black attire and
presence “in the eye of the storm” were
enough to constitute evidence that they
had either taken part in the riots or abet-
ted others to do so.
Under the national secu-
rity law, Beijing can pun-
ish any action it deems
as secession, subversion,
terrorism, or collusion
with foreign forces.
The activists were sentenced under
Hong Kong’s national security law, im-
posed by Beijing’s rubber-stamp legis-
lature—the People’s Congress—in June
last year.
The protests and unrest took place on
the 70th anniversary of the founding of
the People’s Republic of China, which cel-
ebrates the Chinese Communist Party’s
rise to power in 1949. Days before the
anniversary, Hong Kong’s Civil Human
Rights Front was denied a permit by Hong
Kong police for an annual march to pro-
test the CCP’s rule.
Ignoring this, the four democracy activ-
ists called on Hong Kongers to join dem-
onstrations in their own names.
Rallies held at multiple locations, in-
cluding Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin, Tuen
Mun, Sha Tin, and Sham Shui Po, were
initially peaceful but violent incidents
occurred later during the day. Tsang Chi-
kin, an 18-year-old male student, was shot
dead by Hong Kong police.
According to Hong Kong-based Head-
line Daily, police have made 100,242 ar-
rests between June 9, 2019, and Feb. 28.
About 2,521 cases have entered judicial
proceedings, including 720 suspects
charged with rioting. Other alleged of-
fenses include charges of illegal assembly,
arson, and insulting China’s national flag.
Under Hong Kong’s national security
law, Beijing can punish any action it
deems as secession, subversion, terror-
ism, or collusion with foreign forces with
up to life in prison.
Tanya Chan, a former legislative coun-
cilor in Hong Kong, stated on the day of its
approval that the law marked the “death
certificate” of China’s “one country, two
systems” policy.
The next day, the Hong Kong Bar As-
sociation issued an official statement,
arguing that the Hong Kong national
security law “erode[s] the high degree
of autonomy” guaranteed to the city un-
der the Basic Law and the Sino-British
Joint Declaration and “undermine[s]
core pillars of the One Country, Two
Systems model including independent
judicial power.”
lia to “revoke” the decision or Beijing would
“resolutely take strong actions.”
Suspension of the dialogue marks the
first major material response to the BRI
being axed.
Jeffrey Wilson, research director of the
Perth USAsia Centre, said the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) had “run out of
ammunition.”
“By going ‘thermonuclear’ on trade in
2020, they now have no substantive ways
to punish Australia anymore and have to
scrap around for impact-free acts of pure
symbolism,” he wrote on Twitter.
“China has placed sanctions against
practically all Australian exports it can,
investment has collapsed, and intergov-
ernmental discussions are non-existent.
It now has no substantive leverage over
Australia and has to resort to largely mean-
ingless acts of symbolism.”
Over the course of 2020, Beijing imple-
mented a series of tariffs and suspensions
targeting key Australian exports, includ-
ing coal, beef, wine, barley, lobster, timber,
lamb, and cotton.
The economic coercion campaign be-
gan after Australia led the charge in call-
ing for an investigation into the origins of
COVID-19.
A10 | WORLD
People carry oxygen cylinders after refilling them in a factory, amid the spread of COVID-19, in Ahmedabad, India, on April 25, 2021.
2nd COVID-19 Wave Isn’t Unique to India, but
Country’s Problems Are: Health Care Expert
CONTINUED FROM A1
little bit unique because of the larger popu-
lation,” said Chalil, a Florida-based Indian
American. “I agree that hindsight is 20/20.
Preparations should have helped India.
But they did not prepare. I think they took
it lightly.”
However, the case fatality ratio of deaths
per 100,000 of the population of India is
lower than that of the United States, Brazil,
and Mexico, he said.
“They believed some of the publications
which came in international journals that
the reason why even the first wave was not
that bad in India; they were trying to find
excuses or reasons for it, talking about the
immunity of Indian people, and the BCG
vaccinations and the malaria prophylaxis—
all those things,” Chalil said.
BCG is a vaccine against tuberculosis,
which India used in vaccination drives to
eradicate the disease. Malaria prophylax-
is involves protection against COVID-19
by administering a drug that was widely
used to eradicate malaria, which used to
have a high mortality rate in India.
After the pandemic started last year, a
study by the Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR) indicated that the BCG
vaccine, which has been in use for a cen-
tury, could help the elderly fight COVID-19,
according to the Times of India.
Chalil said that after the first wave sub-
sided, it’s likely that some of the adminis-
trators would have become relaxed in their
preparation.
“But there was no excuse for not stocking
up on in PPPs [personal protective equip-
ment], not stocking up on enough oxygen or
medications, because this was predicted to
happen,” he said.  However, the situation is
so complex that one particular factor can’t
be to blame.
“Because even imagine, like a metro-
politan city in the U.S. like New York,
where we spend at least $11,000 [over
eight lakhs] per person, every year on
health care expenses. Yeah, we ran out
of ventilators. We didn’t have enough ICU
beds available. We were having patients
dying in nursing homes left and right. We
discharged COVID patients to nursing
homes from hospitals,” he said, noting
decisions by New York and other states
to order nursing homes to admit COVID-
positive patients that had been released
from hospitals.
Historically, the second wave is more
deadly than the first wave, and no one is
prepared for it, according to Chalil, who is
chairman of the Complex Health Systems
Advisory Board, College of Business and
Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern
University in Florida, and a member of the
Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic
Medicine Executive Leadership Council.
“It’s like a world war. So you know, you
don’t know how it’s gonna go, whether it’s
going to be light or hard,” he said. “But I
believe India’s health minister should take
responsibility for lack of action.”
CHANNI ANAND/AP PHOTO
Health workers and relatives carry the body of a COVID-19 victim for cremation in
Jammu, India, on April 26, 2021.
3rd Wave ‘Wake-up Call’
While some countries have been hit by a
As the first wave fourth wave, Indian media has been replete
in India was this week with stories of what an inevitable
a few months third wave could mean for India. Chalil said
the issue is less about a new wave hitting
delayed, I think India but rather if the currently available
the second vaccines will work against the new muta-
wave is also few tions that define each new wave.
“On top of the second wave, versus the
months delayed, third wave which is coming a few months
but it happened later, it’s a wake-up call for every country!
What if the virus mutates, and our current
faster. vaccines—people taking Pfizer and every
Joe Chalil, global health other vaccine and Sputnik or Chinese vac-
care executive cine? What if it doesn’t work?” said Chalil,
who’s an expert in U.S. health care policy.
Amid speculation about another nation-
wide lockdown in the country, Chalil said
the last year’s experience with lockdowns
wasn’t good, and India should instead focus
on containing the pandemic hotspots.
“I would recommend what the British
did—create hotspots, contain them for a
couple of weeks until the current situation
subsides because the pandemic’s second
wave will go on for the next few weeks, and
maybe by end of May, it should be over,”
he said.
“You will see fewer and fewer cases. But if
you shut the whole country down, it won’t
make it any faster, but the only difference
is that it will kill the economy of India. And
that will have a long-term impact on hunger
and starvation and uplifting of the poor in
the decades to come.”
A COVID-19 patient in India’s Drug and Cosmetic Law of 1940
the emergency ward A 71-year-old colonial-era piece of legis-
at the Holy Family lation called the Drug and Cosmetic Law
hospital in New Delhi of 1940 is still functional in India and the
on May 6, 2021. country should modernize it to “give im-
REBECCA CONWAY/
GETTY IMAGES mediate conditional approval to COVID-19
drugs and vaccines,” Chalil said.
“They’re still sticking to that. If I want
to export life-saving drugs to India, there
are like seven forms to fill out and the guy
has to have an import license to the ware-
house and cold chain facilities. These are
all British-made rules.” He added that the
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
process of importing such medicine may
take “months, if not years.”
“So, there are several new therapeutics
available worldwide. ... There are so many
phase three studies showing 70 percent
reduction in mortality, 70 percent or more
benefit from ventilator-free survival.”
While COVID-19 infections trigger im-
mune system responses, known as a cyto-
kine storm, or uncontrolled inflammation
that may cause people to die, there are small
molecules like interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibi-
tors that are made in the United States and
can reduce the disease’s severity and help
a patient survive, said Chalil.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
has approved two IL-6 inhibitor drugs for
managing patients who develop systemic
inflammation, according to an official re-
lease. Chalil said there are several other
drugs that are shown “effective in reduc-
ing mortality and ventilator-free survival.”
“Antiviral drugs and anti-inflammatory
medicine from several manufacturers like
Pfizer, GSK, and Regeneron are finishing piv-
otal studies. India should encourage local
manufacturing of all these drugs and or im-
port for immediate need,” he said. “Let these
drugs come into India, give them conditional
approval, and let’s save lives right now.”
During the deadly second surge, India has
encountered a severe crunch of oxygen due
to the breakdown of the supply chain, forc-
ing people to scavenge for oxygen cylinders.
Chalil said that India should plan better, and
every hospital should be required to have an
atmospheric oxygen separation plant.
He said “giving oxygen cylinders is not
the solution” and that the country should
plan a long-term benefit of the change to its
health system by overcoming the “nexus”
preventing that from happening.
“If the whole world can do it, why can’t
India?” he said.
Chalil said Indians should be careful and
should wear their masks. A study conducted
by The Times of India early last month just
ahead of the second wave showed that half
of Indians weren’t wearing masks and the
other half were wearing them wrong.
“Be careful about the way they wear the
mask, because they don’t mean to take risks,
they believe that they’re younger and those
are the people that spread the disease. If
they don’t have to go out if they can work
from home, please do,” he said.
ANDREW BURTON/GETTY IMAGES
A worker takes a short break as people perform
the last rites of patients who died of COVID-19,
during a mass cremation held at a crematorium
in New Delhi on May 1, 2021.
 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 WORLD | A11
AP PHOTO/PETER DEJONG, POOL

Int’l Court
Sentences Ugandan
to 25 Years for
War Crimes
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—The In-
ternational Criminal Court sentenced
a Ugandan former child soldier who
turned into a brutal rebel commander
to 25 years’ imprisonment on May 6,
with judges saying that his own ab-
duction as a schoolboy and history
as a child soldier prevented him from
being sentenced to life.
Dominic Ongwen was convicted in
February of a total of 61 war crimes
and crimes against humanity in-
cluding murder, rape, forced mar-
riage, forced pregnancy, and using
child soldiers as a commander in the
shadowy Lord’s Resistance Army. His
lawyers have said they will appeal
the conviction.
Presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt
said that judges had to weigh Ongw-
en’s brutality and victims’ wishes for
justice against his own tortured past
when deciding on a sentence.
“The chamber is confronted in the
present case with a unique situation.
It is confronted with a perpetrator who
willfully brought tremendous suffer-
ing upon his victims,” Schmitt said.
“However, it is also confronted with
a perpetrator who himself had pre-
viously endured extreme suffering
himself at the hands of the group of
which he later became a prominent
member and leader.”
Ongwen, wearing a face mask and
headphones, showed no emotion as
he heard that the three-judge panel
had given him a sentence five years
longer than the 20 years prosecutors
requested.
Ugandan authorities welcomed the
sentence, in a case they had asked the
court to investigate.
Dominic Ongwen (R), a
Ugandan commander
in warlord Joseph
Kony’s feared militia,
waits for the start
of court procedures
as he made his first
appearance at the
International Criminal
Court, in The Hague on
Jan. 26, 2015.
“As the government of Uganda, we
are happy that the case we referred to
the ICC had merit,” said spokesman
Ofwono Opondo. “We are satisfied,
and we hope it will serve as a signal
to others who think they can commit
We hope it a crime and run away. The law will
always catch up with you.”
will serve as a Ongwen’s defense lawyers have al-
signal to oth- ways cast him as a victim of the LRA’s
ers who think brutality who was traumatized after
being abducted as a 9-year-old and
they can com- turned into a child soldier in the
mit a crime group’s violent insurgency.
and run away. But judges in February ruled that
he committed the crimes “as a fully
The law will responsible adult, as a commander of
always catch the LRA in his mid-to-late 20s.”
Schmitt underscored that on May
up with you. 6, saying Ongwen could have fled the
Ofwono Opondo, LRA, was not always in a position of
government spokesman total subordination to its leader Jo-
seph Kony and committed some of
the crimes in private.
Ongwen abducted children and
women and “distributed” them
among his fighters, the judge said.
“He also kept women and girls
for his own household, forcing the
youngest to be his domestic ser-
vants, while those that were deemed
old enough were forced to be his so-
called wives, obliged to have sex
with him, and bear his children,”
Schmitt added.
Ongwen is the first commander of
the LRA to face justice at the global
court and his convictions for gender-
based crimes are significant for pros-
ecutors keen to punish such atrocities.
Founded by Kony, himself a fugi-
tive from the ICC, the Lord’s Resis-
tance Army began in Uganda as an
anti-government rebellion. When
the military forced the group out of
Uganda in 2005, the rebels scattered
across parts of central Africa.
Kony gained international notoriety
in 2012 when the U.S.-based advocacy
group Invisible Children made a video
that went viral highlighting the LRA’s
crimes. By that time, the group had
already been weakened by defections.
Uganda’s military estimated in 2013
that the group comprised no more
than a few hundred fighters.
Reports over the years have claimed
Kony was hiding in Sudan’s Darfur
region or in a remote corner of Central
African Republic, where LRA fighters
continued to kill and abduct in oc-
casional raids on villages, and where
Ongwen was arrested in 2015.
Judges said Ongwen’s role in a litany
of brutal crimes would have merited
a life sentence had it not been for his
own childhood.
They said he was an intelligent child
who could have grown up into a valu-
able member of society had he not
been abducted on his way to school.
“All these possibilities, all his posi-
tive potential, all his hopes for a bright
future came to a brutal halt on the day
when he was abducted,” Schmitt said.
By Mike Corder
From The Associated Press

EU Warns UK Against Breaching Post-Brexit The UK government dispatched

two Royal Navy ships—HMS
resolve the concerns arising from
the issuing of fishing licenses un-

Pact in Jersey Fishing Dispute With France
ALEXANDER ZHANG
The European Union says the UK
has not respected the post-Brexit
trade agreement in imposing “ad-
ditional conditions” on French fish-
ing boats in the English Channel.
The latest fishing dispute was
triggered when the local govern-
ment of Jersey said French boats
would be required to obtain li-
censes to continue fishing in the
island’s waters.
French fishing communities
complained that some boats that
had operated there for years were
suddenly having their access re-
stricted.
The European Commission
said on May 6 that “additional
conditions” attached to the new
licenses represented a breach of
the trade deal.
Spokeswoman Vivian Loonela
said that under the deal, any new
specific conditions that limit EU
fishing activity in UK waters “need
to comply with the objectives and
principles” that have been set out.
“Also, but it is an important point,
these conditions have to be noti-
fied in advance to the other party so
that there is sufficient time to assess
and to react to the proposed mea-
sures,” she told a Brussels briefing.
“Based on that, we have indi-
cated that until we have received
further justifications from the UK
authorities, we consider that these
new conditions should not apply.”
Earlier on May 6, dozens of
French fishing boats gathered at
the port of St. Helier, the island’s
main port, in protest against Jer-
sey’s new fishing rules.
Severn and HMS Tamar—to pa-
trol in waters around Jersey as a
“precautionary measure” following
warnings that French fishing boats
could try to blockade St. Helier.
In response, the French maritime
authority said it was sending two
police patrol boats—Athos and
Themis—to the island “to ensure
the protection of human life at sea.”
Ian Gorst, Jersey’s external rela-
tions minister, said Prime Minis-
ter Boris Johnson had “reiterated
his personal support” for the is-
land on May 6.
“We agreed that all sides remain
committed to engaging with our
partners in the EU and France to
der the Trade and Cooperation
Agreement, which led to today’s
protest,” Gorst said.
Earlier this week, France’s Seas
Minister Annick Girardin said
her country may cut off electric-
ity supplies to Jersey, which im-
ports 95 percent of its electricity
from France.
Girardin said she was “disgust-
ed” to learn that Jersey had issued
41 licenses with unilaterally im-
posed conditions, including the
time French fishing vessels could
spend in its waters.
Reuters and PA contributed
to this report.

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TRUTH AND TRADITION

A12 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

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The words “Black Lives Matter” are displayed after the postponement of a game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, at San Francisco’s Oracle Park on Aug. 26, 2020.
Is Your ‘Woke Credit Score’ High
Enough to Keep You From Being
Denied Service by Major Corporations?
BRIAN CATES
America is no longer a
country being divided
between conservative
and progressive, between
Republican and Demo-
crat. It’s now being divided
between the “woke” and the
“non-woke.” And thus far, the woke ap-
pear to be gaining the upper hand.
To be “woke” means to have been
“awakened” to the awful truth about
America, just how bad a place it is, and
just how much it needs to change—fast.
To hear the woke tell it, the United
States is a country filled to the brim
with racism, sexism, transphobia, and
just about every other evil -ism in the
lexicon. Woke activists see their job as
getting the rest of the country to “wake
up,” acknowledge, and reject the insidi-
ous white supremacy that supposedly
permeates ... well, just about everything
in America.
The woke insist that not only does the
United States need a vast cultural make-
over, this crucial makeover also needs to
happen with lightning speed.
Now, you might think that what these
woke activists are saying and believing
about America is so radical and extreme
that they can be safely ignored. After all,
the founders of Black Lives Matter are
increasingly open and transparent about
being trained Marxists intent on subvert-
ing this country.
But if the events of the past year and a
half have done anything, they’ve dem-
onstrated that these radicals can’t be ig-
nored, because they’ve enlisted the help
of many powerful international corpora-
tions in spreading and promoting their
subversive cancel culture.
Friends in High Places
The woke culture, or as my friend Evan
Sayet calls it in his recent book, “The
Woke Supremacy,” has moved on from
using celebrities and key sports figures
to promote their agenda to attempting to
force it on people by corporate fiat.
OPINION
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 • A13
While before, they tried to make woke-
ness look “cool” and “hip” by having
prominent U.S. movie stars and athletes
avidly promoting cancel culture, the
activists appear to think they’ve given
Americans enough time to get on board
with their agenda.
So those who have resisted the woke
charm offensive for the past few years
must now be subjected to, let’s say,
harsher measures to get them to comply.
It’s not exactly a secret that powerful
and influential woke corporations are
networking to try to impose a de facto
“social credit score” on their American
customers. All you had to do was pay
attention for the past year to see it hap-
pening.
Just 10 years ago, if I’d told you major
corporations would suddenly be deplat-
forming millions of their own customers
over “wrong” political views, you’d have
told me that kind of thing could never
happen.
And yet it’s been happening. We’ve all
been watching it happen and are watch-
ing it continue to happen.
What’s the Best Response
to Corporate Cancel Culture?
I believe that trying to enforce a “woke
credit score” on ordinary Americans is
going to engender a massive backlash
that’s already developing against these
corporations.
Of course, the legal eagles in our midst
are quick to remind us that many com-
panies reserve the right to refuse services
to anyone for any reason. So, like it or
not, these corporations engaging in this
cancel culture activity do have some
legal cover for what they’re doing.
But has there ever been a time in Amer-
ican history where millions of people
were blatantly being denied services or
expelled solely for their political beliefs?
Just because a woke corporatist calls
your political beliefs “radical” and “ex-
treme” and “dangerous,” thereby justify-
ing their banning or excluding you, does
that make them so? Is this merely an
excuse to engage in political censorship?
MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
It may have started with airlines ex-
pelling passengers who wouldn’t wear
masks or who wore Trump hats, but it
doesn’t seem to have ended there.
The pandemic has been used to at-
tempt to enforce a “new normal” on
American citizens without their consent.
Major international businesses seem to
be quite enthusiastic in doing their part
to help enforce this “new normal.”
You didn’t flout your support for Trump
or the MAGA agenda to your bank, but
some activist went digging into your
social media history and brought it to the
bank’s attention, and so the bank ex-
pelled you anyway. Is that kind of behav-
ior legal?
I doubt that it is, but major corporations
attempting to enforce a “woke code”
on American citizens seem to be deter-
mined to test these legal waters. They
truly seem to care more about their radi-
cal ideology than their bottom line.
Fight the Corporations in
Court or Go Around Them?
While I believe citizens are having their
rights to free speech and association
violated by these woke corporations, it
may prove too costly to try to break down
their legal protections with expensive
litigation that could last for years.
A far better strategy could be for Ameri-
can patriots to go around them, not to
fight them directly.
The best solution could be for Ameri-
cans to bypass the woke corporate
gatekeepers. It would be to render them
irrelevant by getting services and access
LACHLAN CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES
from companies and businesses who
make it a deliberate policy not to use a
“woke” litmus test on their customers.
Plenty of such companies exist, they
just often aren’t the biggest and most vis-
ible in their field. But that could change.
In an age when Big Tech corpora-
tions seem to control so much of the
digital sphere, it can seem like a daunt-
ing proposition to suddenly look for
new banking access, for a new internet
portal, and so on. But as the saying goes,
necessity is often the mother of inven-
tion, and Americans are an especially
creative people.
It’s not wise to put all your eggs into
only one basket. And it’s certainly not
wise to keep counting on having digi-
tal access to key services, goods, and
financial accounts through staying in
the good graces of an increasingly hostile
woke conglomerate.
Access is everything. Perhaps while
you weren’t paying attention, you didn’t
see the danger of routing all your com-
merce or business through a “highway”
that runs through a gate controlled by
one of these hostile Big Tech cancel
culture corporations. There’s really no
excuse for such blindness to this danger
now, however.
Everybody should see it.
The conservative social media platform
Parler already got a brutal lesson about
that earlier this year, and I’m sure that les-
son was taken to heart by many people.
If these corporations stubbornly con-
tinue to insist on enforcing the new can-
cel culture, American citizens who care
about their rights will have to improvise,
they will have to adapt, and they will
have to overcome.
I believe they can and they will. In the
coming year, I expect to see develop-
ments that will shock these huge corpo-
rations that thought they were the only
game in town.
They’re going to find out they’re not.
Brian Cates is a writer based in South
Texas and author of “Nobody Asked For
My Opinion ... But Here It Is Anyway!”
A14 | OPINION FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

Biden’s American Unions Plan

EVAN VUCCI/AP PHOTO

BETSY MCCAUGHEY to organize. News flash: It doesn’t need

President Joe Biden is
traveling to Virginia and
Louisiana this week to
pitch his American Jobs
Plan—also called an “in-
frastructure” plan. New
bridges, safer highways, and
more broadband are easy sells. But that’s
only half the story. Biden’s plan is a mas-
sive and coercive push to unionize the
American workforce.
Whether workers want it or not.
Biden’s plan is a wish list of changes
sought by union bosses. It cancels right-
to-work laws in 27 states that currently
protect workers from having to pay union
dues if they don’t want to join. It also rigs
union elections by replacing secret bal-
loting with a system called card check.
Organizers will be able to see which
workers vote “no” and intimidate them.
During the 2020 presidential contest,
unions donated millions to Biden’s
campaign, manned phone banks, and
got out the vote for Democrats. Now, it’s
payback time.
The goal of the American Jobs Plan is to
increase the ranks of dues-paying union
members. When the next election rolls
around, that will fund more campaign
contributions to Democrats and more
union help on Election Day. Unionizing
America is the strategy to secure a per-
manent Democratic majority, the rights
of rank-and-file workers be damned.
Gig economy independent contractors
such as Uber drivers also lose their free-
dom under Biden’s plan. It forces them
to be “employees,” and therefore, ripe for
unionization. A similar plan imposed by
California Democrats evoked popular
outrage and had to be revoked. Unfazed,
Biden is pushing ahead on a national scale.
Addressing the nation last week, Biden
boasted that he’ll protect labor’s right
Unionizing America protecting. Only 10.8 percent of Ameri-
can workers are unionized because most
is the strategy to workers don’t want to share their paycheck
secure a permanent with union bosses. In the private sector,
Democratic it’s even smaller, a minuscule 6 percent.
When a union tried to organize Ama-
majority, the rights zon warehouse employees in Bessemer,
of rank-and-file Alabama, last month, Biden blasted out
workers be damned. a video on social media supporting the
union drive. But the warehouse workers
voted against organizing.
Congressional Republicans are bash-
ing the $2.3 trillion price tag on Biden’s
American Jobs Plan and the job-killing
corporate tax hike to pay for it. Those
are legitimate grievances. But the GOP
should also be protesting the president’s
assault on labor rights.
Biden boasts he’s a “union president.”
Someone has to look out for the 90 percent
of workers who don’t belong to unions.
Republicans should make it their job.
On April 26, Biden announced that it is
“the policy of the United States to en-
courage worker organizing and collec-
tive bargaining” and he called for an in-
crease in “worker power.” Biden sounded
like Karl Marx calling on workers to
unite. In an unprecedented move, Biden
is establishing a task force to throw the
entire weight of the federal government
behind organizing American workers.
Recent polls show a slim majority of
Americans support the infrastructure
plan. That’s because they haven’t seen
the fine print making it nearly impossible
for nonunion employers and workers to
Biden’s plan benefit. When union organizers show up
fleeces taxpayers at job sites, contractors will have to stay
“neutral,” according to the slippery lan-
and sabotages the guage in Biden’s plan, instead of making
rights of nonunion their case like Amazon successfully did.
workers. All To unionize America, Biden stretches
the meaning of “infrastructure” to include
under the guise of anything he can pay for with your tax dol-
‘infrastructure.’ lars. The biggest item is a whopping $400
President Joe Biden speaks during an event
on the American Jobs Plan in the South Court
Auditorium in the White House complex on
April 7, 2021.
billion to pay home health workers who
will be given “an opportunity to organize
or join a union and collectively bargain.”
In 2020, the Service Employees Inter-
national Union, which represents these
aides, supported Biden, and candidate
Biden pledged $450 billion for more
health aide jobs. On your tab, of course.
Biden’s plan fleeces taxpayers and sab-
otages the rights of nonunion workers.
All under the guise of “infrastructure.”
April’s jobs report, to be released May 7,
shows 900,000 new hires. The economy is
rebounding without Biden’s infrastruc-
ture bill. America needs better roads and
bridges, but not at the cost of workers’
freedom. The GOP should stand firm on
that principle.
Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., is a political
commentator, constitutional expert, syn-
dicated columnist, and author of several
books, including “The Obama Health
Law: What It Says and How to Overturn,”
and “The Next Pandemic.” She is also a
former lieutenant governor of New York.

COMICS
DILBERT GARFIELD

PEANUTS GINGER MEGGS

RED AND ROVER

BIG NATE

GRAND AVENUE DRABBLE

MUTT & JEFF FRANK AND ERNEST

 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
SPECIAL SERIES: How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World
The Chinese Communist
Party’s Global Ambitions
The Epoch Times here serializes an adaptation from the Chinese of “How the Specter of
Communism Is Ruling Our World,” a new book by the editorial team of the “Nine Commentaries
on the Communist Party.”
18
CHAPTER 3. Unrestricted Warfare
With Chinese Communist
Characteristics (cont.)
c. Economic Warfare:
The CCP’s Heavy Weaponry
If external foreign propaganda, percep-
tion-management, and united-front
work are the CCP’s forms of soft power,
then its high-tech industry is one form
of the Party’s hard power.
Since the 1980s, the PRC has imple-
mented a series of strategic plans in
science and technology, including the
863 Program (also known as the State
High Technology Research and De-
velopment Program), which helped
facilitate the theft of technology from
other countries; the Torch Program,
which helped build high-tech com-
mercial industries; the 973 Program,
for scientific research; and the 211 Proj-
ect, which helped “reform” universi-
ties. [151][152] The Made in China 2025
plan aims to transform China from a
manufacturing country to a manufac-
turing power by 2025, taking the lead in
big data, 5G, and the like. The strategy
includes ambitious plans for artificial
intelligence, in which China aims to
be a world leader by 2030. The purpose
is to upgrade the PRC’s status as the
world factory to that of an advanced
manufacturing giant, thereby attain-
ing global supremacy. [153]
Under normal circumstances, a
country may mobilize state resources
for the benefit of industrial develop-
ment, or to invest in the research of key
technologies. But the CCP’s high-tech
development strategy poses a funda-
mental threat to the free world, as the
PRC does not operate like a normal
country, nor respect the norms that
govern international relations. The
purpose of the CCP’s technological
development is not so the PRC can join
the ranks of the world’s other high-tech
countries or compete on equal footing
with them, but rather to eliminate op-
ponents and take down Western econ-
omies—especially that of the United
States—and thus be one step closer to
world domination.
Technological innovation is the fruit
of individual liberty, which is in natu-
ral conflict with the totalitarian rule of
communism. Researchers in mainland
China are deprived of the freedom to
use foreign search engines, let alone
express their freedom in other ways.
Thus it is indeed difficult to make real
SPECIAL SERIES
breakthroughs in scientific and tech-
nological innovation given the CCP’s
restrictions on thought and access to
information.
To make up for this, the Party has
used various underhanded means to
steal Western technology and win over
cutting-edge talent, and has also used
unfair and extraordinary measures to
undermine Western industry. The PRC
has adopted an all-of-state approach,
including government bodies and
firms, the military, private business,
and individuals to steal technologies
the West spent decades and vast sums
of money to develop. After assimilating
and improving upon the stolen intel-
lectual property, mainland Chinese
companies mass-produce high-tech
goods at low cost and dump them in
international markets, squeezing out
foreign enterprises, which are privately
owned and cannot flout regulations as
is done in the PRC. This economic strat-
egy forms an important component in
the CCP’s use of “unrestricted warfare”
against the West.
The Trap of Trading Technology
for Market Access
In recent years, China’s high-speed rail
network has become almost like an
advertisement for the country’s high-
Two CRH bullet trains sit at a maintenance base in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on
Feb. 1, 2018.
end manufacturing prowess, and the
concept of “high-speed rail diplomacy”
has arisen. Chinese state media has
called China’s work in this area “leg-
endary,” given its rapid development in
only ten years. But to Western compa-
nies, China’s high-speed rail buildup
has been a nightmare of technological
theft, entrapment, and what ultimately
became huge losses in exchange for
only small gains.
Work on the high-speed rail project
began in the early 1990s. By the end of
2005, the CCP abandoned the idea of
developing the technology indepen-
dently and turned to Western technol-
ogy. The CCP’s goal was clear from the
beginning: It planned to first acquire
the technology, then manufacture the
same technology and sell it for cheaper
prices on the global market.
The purpose of the
CCP’s technological
development is not so
the PRC can join the
ranks of the world’s
other high-tech
countries or compete
on equal footing with
them, but rather to
eliminate opponents
and take down
Western economies.
The Chinese side requires that for-
eign manufacturers sign a technolo-
gy-transfer contract with a Chinese
domestic firm before bidding on
construction contracts. The Chinese
regime also established formal inter-
nal assessments called “technology-
transfer-implementation evaluations,”
which focus not on how well foreign
businesses teach their systems, but
rather on how well domestic compa-
nies learn them. If domestic enterpris-
es don’t completely master the technol-
ogy, China doesn’t pay. The authorities
also require that by the last batch of
orders, local companies must produce
70 percent of the orders. [154]
Because foreign companies felt that
accessing China’s market was an
opportunity not to be missed, such
terms didn’t stop them from signing
contracts. Japan’s Kawasaki, France’s
Alstom, Germany’s Siemens, and Can-
ada’s Bombardier all submitted bids.
Still, no Western company was willing
to transfer its core, most-valued tech-
nology. The CCP thus continued to play
games with several of the companies in
GET
YOUR
COPY
HERE
EPOCHSHOP.COM
VCG/GETTY IMAGES
the hope that at least one would relent
and give up something of real value
for the benefit of short-term interests.
Sure enough, when it appeared that
one company would get a chunk of
the Chinese market in exchange for
technology, the others began to fear
being left out. Thus, several of them fell
into the CCP’s trap, with the result that
China was able to extract key technol-
ogy from the above four companies.
The PRC has invested huge sums in
the rail project, acting regardless of
cost, and Chinese firms built out the
world’s most extensive high-speed
rail system by mileage. In a few years,
China rapidly assimilated Western
technology, which was then turned
into “independent intellectual prop-
erty rights.” What really shocked West-
ern companies was when the PRC then
began applying for high-speed rail pat-
ents abroad, with Chinese firms be-
coming fierce competitors against their
former teachers on the international
market. Because Chinese companies
have accumulated a great deal of prac-
tical experience in this realm, and are
afforded all the industrial advantages
brought by large-scale production
capacity and massive state financial
backing, China’s high-speed rail indus-
try possesses a competitive advantage
against peers. It has become a key ele-
ment of the Party’s One Belt, One Road
project.
While foreign companies once
dreamed of getting their share of the
huge market for high-speed rail in
China, they found instead that not
only were they squeezed out of that
market, but they also had created a
tough international competitor. Yoshi-
yuki Kasai, an honorary chairman of
the Central Japan Railway Company,
said: “The Shinkansen [Japanese bullet
train] is the jewel of Japan. The tech-
nology transfer to China was a huge
mistake.” [155]
Notes
151. William Pentland, “Entrepreneurial
Espionage – Made in China,” Forbes, Jan. 22,
2011.
152. Joshua Philipp, “How Hacking and
Espionage Fuel China’s Growth,” The Epoch
Times, Sept. 10, 2015.
153. Annie Wu, “What Is the ‘Made in China
2025’ Program That Is the Target of US Tariffs?”
The Epoch Times, April 5, 2018.
154. High-Speed Rail News, “Gaotie Fengyun
lu” 高鐵風雲錄 [“A Record of the High-speed
Rail Saga”], (Changsha: Hunan Literature and
Art Press, 2015). See “Di wu zhang: Zhongguo
gaotie sanguo sha” 第五章中國高鐵三國殺
[Chapter 5, “China’s High-Speed Rail Three
Kingdom Legends”].
155. Sankei Shimbun, “Japan’s Transfer of Bullet
Train Technology a Mistake. China, of Course,
Has Copied It,” Japan Forward, Aug. 18, 2017.
See next edition for the next
installment.
OPINION | A15
Stephen Gregory, Publisher
Jasper Fakkert, Editor-in-Chief
Channaly Philipp, Life & Tradition,
Travel Editor
Chrisy Trudeau, Mind & Body Editor
Crystal Shi, Home, Food Editor
Sharon Kilarski, Arts & Culture Editor
ABOUT US
The Epoch Times is a media
organization dedicated to seek-
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and independent journalism.
Standing outside of politi-
cal interests and the pursuit of
profit, our starting point and our
goal is to create a media for the
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sible to society.
We endeavor to educate read-
ers about today’s most impor-
tant topics, seeking to broaden
and uplift minds. We believe that
rational, balanced debate is key
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As an independent media out-
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We seek to highlight solutions
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We report respectfully, compas-
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A16 | OPINION
The seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at its headquarters in Langley, Va.
The Infiltration of the CIA
CAL THOMAS
The Central Intelligence
Agency is always looking
to recruit new agents,
and advertising is one
way it has done so in the
past. The difference this
time is in a newly created
series of recruitment videos that reflect
the spirit of the age in which we live,
rather than appealing to abilities and
patriotism.
The videos seem to suggest that the
super-secret agency has been infiltrated,
not by spies from Russia, China, or al
The Book You’ve Been
Waiting for...
“Extremely well “The Truth, as horrifying as it is,
researched and true.” shall set us free. This should be
on this country’s academia’s
list of required reading.”
HOW THE
SPECTER OF COMMUNISM
IS RULING OUR WORLD
The specter of communism did not
disappear with the disintegration of the
Communist Party in Eastern Europe
ORDER NOW!
EpochShop.com
Qaeda, but rather a subtler and nearly
invisible enemy.
That would be the infiltration by woke
liberals, whose primary goal appears
to be the undermining of every tradi-
tion and institution—from Disney-
land’s Snow White ride (the famous kiss
scene by the Prince has been deemed
sexually aggressive because Ms. White
is unconscious and cannot give consent,
so it will be re-imagined) to America’s
foremost intelligence agency.
The latest CIA video features a Latina
officer who identifies as a “cisgender mil-
lennial.” Even the word “cisgender” is so
new that my spellcheck does not (yet) rec-
NOW
BIGGER SIZE,
EASIER TO READ
FORMAT
SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
TOM WILLIAMS-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Capitol Hill in
Washington on April 28, 2021.
ognize it. The video is part of a new series
called “Humans of CIA” designed to at-
tract a more “diverse pool of candidates.”
From the script: “I am a woman of
color. I am a mom. I am a cisgender
millennial who has been diagnosed
with generalized anxiety disorder. I am
intersectional, but my existence is not a
box-checking exercise.”
Really? What else could it be?
Coal Workers Union
Doesn’t Always Represent
Coal Worker Values
SALENA ZITO
GRAYSVILLE, Pa.—When
coal mine employee
John Morecraft heard
that United Mine Work-
ers of America President
Cecil Roberts approved of
President Joe Biden’s plan to
move the nation’s energy industry away
from fossil fuels, Morecraft said he antici-
pated the news would be misconstrued.
“I knew the story would come across as
though all coal miners approved of this
deal, with no mention of how (un)repre-
sentative the UMWA is of the coal miner
population,” said Morecraft, just before
going down for his shift at the Bailey Mine
here in Greene County, Pennsylvania.
“The UMWA in actuality represents a
small portion of the people who work in
the mines,” Morecraft said. “What that
means is that deal was not made with the
support of most of the people who do the
work in the industry.”
He isn’t wrong.
According to the latest energy statistics
for the U.S. government, there are 6,758
coal miners working underground in
this country today who are members of
the UMWA, compared with the 24,820
miners, such as Morecraft, who aren’t
members of the union.
The same goes for the surface-mine
workforce, where just over 3,000 are
members of the UMWA, compared with
the nearly 17,000 who are not.
Once a dominant force that repre-
sented virtually everyone working in the
entire industry, the UMWA membership
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
WebMD defines anxiety disorders:
“They’re a group of mental illnesses that
cause constant and overwhelming anxi-
ety and fear. The excessive anxiety can
make you avoid work, school, family get-
togethers, and other social situations that
might trigger or worsen your symptoms.”
Forget the other stuff. Why would the
CIA be fine with an agent suffering from
such a malady?
Some conservatives immediately
began mocking the video. Sen. Ted
Cruz (R-Texas) said: “If you’re a Chinese
communist, or an Iranian mullah, or
Kim Jong-un … would this scare you?
We’ve come a long way from Jason
Bourne,” a reference to the star of the
spy movies, not to mention the real-life
drama of Virginia Hall, whose World
War II exploits for British, French, and
American intelligence are chronicled
in a book by Sonia Purnell entitled “A
Woman of No Importance.”
Donald Trump Jr. joined the mock fest
when he tweeted that the agency has gone
“full woke. China and Russia love this”
and are “laughing their asses off.” Trump
junior added that “wokeness is the kind of
twisted PSYOP (psychological operations)
a spy agency would invent to destroy a
country from inside out.” Such operations
have traditionally been used to influence
the reasoning and emotions of people, a
strategy now full-blown in America.
The late historian Will Durant had the
definitive statement about what happens
to nations that ignore traditions and
policies which have worked in the past:
“A great civilization is not conquered
from without until it has destroyed itself
within.”
An even higher authority preached:
“For a time is coming when people will
no longer listen to sound and wholesome
teaching. They will follow their own
desires and will look for teachers who
will tell them whatever their itching ears
want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3 NLT)
The Biden administration is weaken-
ing America from inside out, especially
by ignoring the crisis at our southern
border. Wokeness is spreading at least as
fast COVID-19 ever could.
Unlike the virus, there is no vacci-
nation for this moral and intellectual
pandemic.
The CIA has had problems in its past,
but none as serious as this. If they con-
tinue to succumb to wokeness, the “I” in
its acronym will stand for insanity.
John Calvin Thomas has been a syndicat-
ed columnist, author, and radio commen-
tator for more than 35 years. His latest
book is “America’s Expiration Date: The
Fall of Empires and Superpowers and the
Future of the United States.”
today is the smallest portion of the min-
ing workforce.
Had you not really followed the decline
of UMWA membership over the decades
and were sitting at home watching the
news reports and thought, “Oh, wow,
the coal miners are now backing Biden’s
‘climate-justice’ infrastructure package;
maybe it is not that bad,” you were misled.
Morecraft said there’s another com-
ponent of the story many people might
miss. When deals like this are struck, or
union bosses look the other way when
the party they support hurts their jobs, he
says, it shows how the people who negoti-
ate these deals are entrenched within this
administration.
Morecraft doesn’t fit any of the stereo-
types of coal miners that our cultural cu-
rators in the news, government, or Holly-
wood like to cast. He is a college-educated
former history teacher who coached both
high school football and basketball until
he was laid off from his teaching jobs.
“I was kind of down on my luck, with
students and a young family,” he said.
“Working at the mine was my only way
out because there are not too many jobs
around here other than coal mining,
which is now providing me with a life
that I never would have had.”
Morecraft says he’s been following
in detail the proposals in the so-called
“infrastructure bill,” which presently does
include grants or loans to fund carbon cap-
turing. He is not sure if those grants will
stay in there: “What I don’t understand is
why they’re not trying to put more money
towards carbon-capture sequestration
rather than displacing an entire workforce.”
 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 OPINION | A17
I Knowledge acquired since the Consti-
Defending the Constitution: tution was adopted (including knowl-
edge of the change) has destroyed the
phrase’s value.

The 2nd Amendment Is Not Outdated
ROB NATELSON
A lawyer in Boulder, Colo-
rado, has been buying bill-
board space attacking the
Second Amendment right
to keep and bear arms.
One billboard reads:
“Imagine highways us-
ing traffic laws written in 1791. Imagine
radio, television, and internet run by 1791
regulations. Imagine limiting yourself
to medical care available in 1791. The
Second Amendment was written in 1791.
Thoughts and prayers are not enough.
“This ad paid for by Lindasue Smollen.”
If you get angry reading Lindasue
Smollen’s billboard message, please leave
her alone. She has a right to freedom of
speech and of the press. They are guaran-
teed to her by the First Amendment—also
adopted in 1791. (Because she’s using a
medium, a billboard, to communicate
her message, her conduct is more prop-
erly an expression of freedom of the press
than freedom of speech.)
My first reaction to this billboard was
that Smollen was wasting her money: A
key to effective billboard advertising is
brevity. Drivers don’t have time to read
lengthy messages.
But it turned out that she didn’t waste
her money, because the liberal media
megaphone did her work for her. It duti-
fully reproduced her billboard and its
messages to the wider American public.
Have you ever seen mainstream media
repeating any of the conservative, patri-
otic, pro-life, or religious billboards ap-
pearing on our highways? Of course not.
My second, probably sounder, reaction
was that maybe Smollen should sue for a
law school tuition refund. Obviously she
was never taught the difference between
ordinary legislation (such as traffic laws)
and a general constitutional standard.
Law professors traditionally employ Chief
Justice John Marshall’s famous opinion in
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) to explain
the distinction. But apparently, at her law
school, they neglected to do so.
For those of you who didn’t attend a
competent law school, here’s the distinc-
tion: Ordinary legislation (such traffic
laws) are detailed to respond to specific
conditions. The legislature readily alters
them when necessary. But while consti-
tutions often contain detailed provisions,
Demonstrators gather for a Second Amendment rally at the Washington state Capitol in Olympia
on March 20, 2021.
they also feature many terms (such as the
Second Amendment) written in broader,
more enduring language. As Marshall
explained in the McCulloch case, we
interpret broad constitutional standards
somewhat differently from ordinary laws.
“We must never forget,” he wrote, “that it
is a constitution we are expounding.”
Unlike traffic rules, the Constitution’s
expansive provisions are crafted to accom-
modate changing conditions. For example,
the Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8,
Clause 3) doesn’t lay out detailed rules for
trade by horse, ship, and barge. Rather, it
grants Congress power to regulate com-
merce. The word “commerce” enables
Congress to regulate trade by methods
that didn’t exist when the Constitution was
adopted, such as railroads, motor vehicles,
aircraft, and telecommunications.
Similarly, the Second Amendment
doesn’t protect “the right of the people to
keep and bear muskets and swords.” It
protects the right to “keep and bear Arms.”
That’s why the Second Amendment
protects the right to own and use modern
“bearable” (portable) weapons, such as
semi-automatic AR-15 style rifles.
In short, by comparing traffic laws to
the Second Amendment, Smollen’s bill-
board compares apples to edibles.
The billboard message also suffers from
the false assumption that changes in
conditions necessarily require changes in
DAVID RYDER/GETTY IMAGES
the Constitution. Because of the breadth
of constitutional language, this simply
isn’t true.
In 2011, Time Magazine ran a front-
page editorial that remains one of my
favorite samples of constitutional illit-
eracy. The editorial sought to discredit
the Constitution by pointing out that the
Founders didn’t know about:
“World War II. DNA. Sexting. Airplanes.
The atom. Television. Medicare. Collater-
alized debt obligations. The germ theory
of disease. Miniskirts. The internal com-
bustion engine. Computers. Antibiotics.
Lady Gaga.”
The author was right that the Found-
ers didn’t know about those things. But
sexting, miniskirts, and Lady Gaga (as
important as they may seem to a trendy
magazine editor) aren’t the sort of things
that justify constitutional change.
A change in conditions merits a change
in a constitutional phrase only if—
I The change is relevant to the constitu-
tional phrase; and
Consider relevance first: The Second
Amendment was adopted partly to pro-
tect state militias. But it also was adopted
to enable citizens to protect themselves
against criminals, foreign invaders, and
domestic tyrants. Traffic laws, radio, tele-
vision, the internet, and modern medi-
cine don’t undercut any of the reasons
behind the Second Amendment.
On the contrary, you can argue that
social changes call for strengthening the
Second Amendment. Modern American
cities probably suffer more violent crime
than in 1791, rendering self-defense and
arms training for law-abiding citizens
more vital. Modern medicine makes it
easier to remedy accidents arising from
the legitimate use of weapons.
What about knowledge acquired since
1791?
We know that criminals sometimes use
weapons to attack others and that armed
citizens can stymie those attacks. But the
Founders knew those facts, too. Recent
international experience tells us that an
armed citizenry can help resist foreign
invasions and domestic tyrants. But the
Founders knew that as well.
However, we have learned two lessons
outside the Founders’ immediate experi-
ence. One is that even governments in
“civilized” countries may slaughter their
own people, and that they can do so only
when the targeted portion of the citizenry is
disarmed. The 20th-century history of Ger-
many is a case in point. The other recent
lesson, as my Independence Institute col-
league Dave Kopel has documented, is that
the United States isn’t immune to terrorism
against unarmed populations. The history
of the Ku Klux Klan is a case in point.
So it’s clear that the Founders were
right to adopt the Second Amendment.
It’s even clearer that we need its protec-
tion today.
Robert G. Natelson is a former constitu-
tional law professor, senior fellow in consti-
tutional jurisprudence at the Independence
Institute in Denver, and author of “The
Original Constitution What It Actually
Said and Meant“ (3rd ed., 2014). His work
has never been funded by any organization
on either side of the gun control debate.

JUSTIN MERRIMAN/GETTY IMAGES

Coal miners
waits prior to
the arrival of
U.S. Environ-
mental
Protection
Agency

Behind the
Administrator
in Sycamore,
Pa., on April
13, 2017.

Carbon capturing isn’t embraced by
Biden’s environmental-justice base. Last
year, when the House passed a clean
energy package, 18 Democrats, including
leftist Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,
Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna
Pressley, all voted against it.
And some of the most influential liberal
environmental groups also objected to
that bill’s plan to capture carbon dioxide
from coal- and gas-fired plants. For many
of these groups, it was viewed as a bargain
that only benefits fossil fuel companies.
Morecraft sighed in exasperation.
“These people on the far left won’t even
entertain the idea of carbon capture,”
he said. “They just say, ‘No, fossil fuels
are bad, and we need to go in a different
direction,’ even though the technology
isn’t quite there to even sustain the grid,
as was shown in Texas this winter.”
In February, in the middle of an un-
expected deep freeze, 3 million Texans
lost their electricity when the state’s
generating capacity could not meet the
sudden demand caused by the plung-
ing temperatures. Pipes froze and burst;
people were left without heat and power
for days; and the power grid suffered a
wholesale collapse.
Morecraft says he loves his job.
“I am a fire boss, EMT, and I work in our
Subscription
Your subscription will not only provide you with
bunker, which is the main hub of the un- accurate news and features, but also contribute
derground. And it is sort of like a desk job, to the revival of American journalism and help
only in a mine, because I have all of these
computers, and I am basically in charge safeguard our freedoms for future generations.
of all the tracking of where all the miners
go and also the CO sensors that go off. We aim to tell you what we see, not how to think; we
“More reporters and elected officials
should come and take a look at what we strive to deliver you a factual picture of reality that
do,” he added. “It is not at all what they lets you form your own opinions.
think; there are no picks and shovels.
There are just a lot of misconceptions.
There is also a lot of presumption that we We believe that we live in truly epochal times, where
don’t care about the climate, and that al- the faithful representation of our current events
ways gets me. Do people not understand won’t just be important for the people of today, but
that we live, drink, fish, raise our families,
and enjoy the wildlife right in the same also for the generations to come. The records we
place where the mines are located?” keep now will directly inform the foundations of the
In saying so, Morecraft echoes a frustra- history they’ll learn and the values they’ll cherish—
tion that energy workers frequently share.
and this knowledge is what drives us.
Salena Zito has held a long, successful
career as a national political reporter. Learn more at
Since 1992, she has interviewed every U.S.
president and vice president, as well as top EpochSubscription.com
leaders in Washington, D.C., including sec-
retaries of state, speakers of the House, and
U.S. Central Command generals. Her pas-
sion, though, is interviewing thousands of
people across the country. She reaches the TRUTH AND TRADITION
Everyman and Everywoman through the
lost art of shoe-leather journalism, having
traveled along the back roads of 49 states.
A18 | PUZZLES FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

CROSSWORD CONSTRUCTED BY TOM HOUSTON

EPOCH TIMES STAFF 12. Alcoves with fonts 4NUMBERS CONSTRUCTED BY C. CHANG
AT 4NUMS.COM DAILY BRIDGE CLUB
13. Putin re: Ukraine? Jamming the printer
Use the four numbers in the corners, and
14. Show, as a historic the operands (+, - X, and ÷) to build an BY FRANK STEWART, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
battle equation to get the solution in the middle.
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
There may be more than one “unique” so-
15. Quiets lution but, there may also be “equivalent”
20. Federal agcy. super- solutions. For example: 6 + (7 X 3) +1 = 28 As you might expect, Unlucky Louie is a
and 1+ (7 X 3) + 6 = 28 firm believer in Murphy’s Law: Whatever
seded by the NRC in 1977 can go wrong, will. Unfortunately, that
27. Patriot’s org. includes Louie’s technique.
Louie was declarer at today’ s four
28. Disney head spades, and the defense led three rounds
30. “The Simpsons” of clubs. Louie ruffed and led a trump to
storekeeper dummy’ s king, winning. He next led the
jack of trumps.
31. Brings (out) West played low again, and Louie was
33. Ancient meeting in trouble. If he led a third trump, West
would win and lead his last club, forcing
place Louie to ruff, and W est’ s last trump would
34. Fund-raising suffix score for down one. Louie took the K-Q of
37. Apprentice diamonds and three heart tricks and led a
fourth heart, but West ruffed with his eight
38. Hoopla of trumps and also got the ace.
39. Dangerously unpre- Hard 1 - 1 Solution
PAPER JAM
dictable sort “Any attempt to print out Murphy’ s Law
40. “Acetyl” add-on will result in a paper jam,” Louie told me.
41. The stars at night are Louie created his own bad luck, as usual.
After the king of trumps wins, he must lead
big and bright there a low trump to his ten. If West ducks, Louie
45. Sharp succeeds by cashing red-suit winners and
leading a fourth round of hearts. West can
47. Merry old times get only his ace of trumps.
48. Goals, e.g.: Abbr.
DAILY QUESTION
49. Costa ___ You hold: { 4 852 J 9 7 4 2
50. SpaceX founder yAK53. Your partner opens one spade,
Musk you respond 1NT, he bids two diamonds
and you raise to three diamonds. Partner
51. Lord’s Prayer starter Hard 2 - 1 Solution then bids three spades. What do you say?
52. Marshal under Napo- ANSWER: Your partner has six spades
Across 42. Feed bag contents 79. Food container
leon and also has a strong hand. If his hand
1. Construction crew 43. Japanese vegetable 80. Student’s worry were a minimum, he would have rebid two
44. Everybody’s opposite 84. Equal: Prefix 56. One who leads a spades. Y our decision is close, but if your
9. “___ way!” side is vulnerable, with more to gain, bid
45. It borders Fla. 85. These may be fine Spartan lifestyle
13. Kind of agent five diamonds. Partner may hold A J 7 5 3
16. Famous last words? 46. It’s true or false, in 86. Awakening 57. Listlessness 2, A 3, A K 6 5, 4.
17. “That’s a ___!” computerspeak 87. 100 yrs. 58. Idle fancy North dealer
N-S vulnerable
18. Author of “Meeting at 53. Mediterranean isl. 88. After the hour 59. Explains in a new light
Potsdam”: 1975 54. With lance in hand 89. Taxpayer 60. Mama bear, in Madrid
19. Benjamin Randolph 55. Take to court 61. “Regnava ___ silenzio”
and Thomas Affleck 56. Certain league: Abbr. Down (aria from “Lucia di Lam-
21. Lovey 58. Winter Olympics 1. Country bumpkins mermoor”)
Easy 1 - 2 Solutions
22. Cold war grp. sport 2. Saying 66. Get rid of
23. Zaire’s Mobutu ___ 62. Bag 3. “Fiddler on the Roof” 67. N.Y.C. airport
Seko 63. Guys character 69. Gemstone
24. Corroded 64. ‘Pay to play’ cost 4. Abbr. after Sen. Jack 70. Coeur d’___
25. Med. specialty 65. Music genre Reed’s name 71. Boot camp boss
26. Paris divider 68. Fitzgerald and others 5. Farm layer 75. ___ Minor
29. Related to land re- 72. Suffix with Caesar 6. Roll call calls 76. Takes steps
cords used for taxation 73. Nashville-based 7. ___ bag 77. X’s
32. Duke awards org. 8. Totals 81. Ballpark fig.
35. ___ favor 74. Burrito add-on, for 9. Parrot’s cry 82. Grand ___ (“Evange-
36. Houston university short 10. Trample line” setting)
37. Is in charge 78. Menu phrase 11. Raw 83. “___ Poetica” Easy 2 - 1 Solution

WORDSEARCH CONSTRUCTED BY TOM HOUSTON

EPOCH TIMES STAFF SUPER KAKURO CONSTRUCTED
BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF

Help with Today’s Crossword Puzzle? Kakuro puzzles are like crosswords that use numbers instead of words. The goal is to fill the blank squares associated with a clue (called a “run”) with the numbers
1-9 so that the numbers add up to the corresponding clues. Like Sudoku, digits in a run cannot repeat. When the grid is filled, the puzzle is complete.

ADAGE CHIMERA LOOSE SCRAP

ALENE CLASSICAL CANNON SEINE
APSES EISNER MALAISE SETTLES
ASCETIC ELLAS NO ONE STIRRING
ASSESSEE HARDHATS RABBI TARTARE
ASTUTE HICKS RECASTS TEXAS
ATILT I DARE YOU RE-ENACT TREAD ON
CABINET- IMPERIALIST RESEARCH TROTS
MAKERS LAPIS PAPER
CADASTRAL LARKS SARGE

SOLUTIONS
CROSSWORD SUPER KAKURO
4 NUMBERS
HARD 1

HARD 2

EASY 1

EASY 2
 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 PUZZLES | A19
SUDOKU CONSTRUCTED
BY KANNAN SANKARAN SUPERSUDOKU CONSTRUCTED
BY KANNAN SANKARAN WORK SPACE
Fill in the boxes using numbers between 1 and 9 so that each column, each Fill in the boxes using numbers from 0 to 9 and letters from A to F so that each column,
row, and each 3x3 square contain all nine numbers only once. each row, and each 4x4 square contain all ten numbers and six letters only once.
Hard

Easy

CRYPTIC QUOTE

EPOCH DOKU CONSTRUCTED

BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF

KAKURO CONSTRUCTED
BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF JUMBLE BY DAVID L. HOYT
& JEFF KNUREK

Kakuro puzzles are like crosswords that use numbers instead of words. The goal THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
is to fill the blank squares associated with a clue (called a “run”) with the numbers By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
1-9 so that the numbers add up to the corresponding clues. Like Sudoku, digits Unscramble these Jumbles,
Get the free JUST JUMBLEDSS‡)ROORZXVRQ7ZLWWHU@PlayJumble

in a run cannot repeat. When the grid is filled, the puzzle is complete. one letter to each square,
to form four ordinary words.
Easy TAHSS
EPOCH ESCAPE MAZE
CHNEE

GPDOAA

NPHOCO
Now arrange the circled letters
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC to form the surprise answer, as
All Rights Reserved. suggested by the above cartoon.

WORK SPACE

SOLUTIONS
SUPERSUDOKU SUDOKU: EASY JUMBLE EASY KAKURO
— HAPPENSTANCE
bodybuilder, it was WORK SPACE

took a pic of the flexing

When she unknowingly
Answers:
PONCHO
PAGODA
HENCE
STASH
Jumbles:
SUDOKU: HARD EPOCH DOKU

CRYPTIC QUOTE
debate in narrow confines.
the ordinary people who
setting himself apart from
see big, judge widely, thus
The leader must aim high,
A20 | FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

Truth and Tradition

The Gift of Strength in a Challenging Time
You know that the truth doesn’t just make you more Through our journalism, you can prove to them that our
informed—it can also give you the strength to fight and to nation’s values still remain strong. You can show them that
hope. But what about your friends and family who are still there is a growing community that’s willing to stand up for
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DR. SEBASTIAN GORKA
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 NPS COURTESY OF VICTOR BLOCK
VIRGINIA MAUI

History Abounds in Richmond Take the Winding Highway

Virginia’s state capital, Richmond, located 120 miles to Hana
outside of Washington, has strong ties to both the While only 52 miles long, this series of twists, turns,
Revolutionary and Civil War eras. dips and dives can take up to three hours to negotiate.

See B4 See B4

DESTINATIONS | TRENDS | TIPS FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 B1

ALL PHOTOS BY SHUTTERSTOCK

Panama
A Haven for Nature Lovers

Dugout canoes
on the beautiful
sand beach on
San Blas Islands,
Panama.

KEVIN REVOLINSKI

E
veryone knows the canal, but Panama is positioned
Panama, the diminutive land
bridge of a country, doesn’t
well for migrations, and
seem to get the attention it’s due. its coastlines and rich
Did you know Panama stretches
east-west and that the northern entrance to forests are filled with
1
the Panama Canal from the Atlantic Ocean resident species.
is actually farther west than where it meets
the Pacific to the south? I lived there for
a year while teaching English at a couple
of universities, and I found a boatload of
natural sites to frequent. The short driving
distances meant I could see more in less
time. Tourism has come a long way since
my time in Panama—the secret is out of the
bag—but that has only made travel there
2
all the easier. Here are just a few of my per-
sonal favorite destinations and activities.
1. The flying resplendent quetzal.
Guna Yala (San Blas Islands) 2. Monkeys in Coiba National Park.
The custodian at my apartment complex
was a member of the Guna (Kuna), an in- 3. A small tropical island in the San Blas,
digenous people of Panama, and I offered Panama.
him English lessons in exchange for some 4. The Darién Gap is a break across the
chats about his native language. On his North and South American continents
recommendation, I ventured out to their within Central America, consisting of a
islands along the northeast Atlantic coast large watershed, forest, and mountains.
for a homestay experience. We took a van
to the beach and boarded a speedboat, slip-
ping through gently rolling yet mirror-like
waters to an island near sunrise. We spent
two nights in a cabana on one of the 350-
plus islands in their archipelago.

Continued on B2

3 4
B2
Behind the
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safeguard our freedoms for future generations.
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lets you form your own opinions.
We believe that we live in truly epochal times, where
the faithful representation of our current events
won’t just be important for the people of today, but
also for the generations to come. The records we
keep now will directly inform the foundations of the
history they’ll learn and the values they’ll cherish—
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Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection, a UNESCO site.
Panama
A Haven for Nature Lovers
Continued from B1
On our first full day, we hired a boat to
drop us off on an isle small enough that
I could stand on one side and throw a
baseball into the water on the other.
There was just a spot of sand with a thick
patch of palm trees and foliage in the
middle. We had a picnic and snorkeled
the day away. If you prefer a bit more
activity, take an excursion to the Guna
coastline, where the forests are pristine
for hiking.
Birdwatching
Panama is positioned well for migra-
tions, and its coastlines and rich forests
are filled with resident species. More
than 1,000 species have been spotted
here, 11 of them endemic and 16 oth-
ers globally threatened. You can even
find the resplendent quetzal, a rare long-
tailed beauty most might associate with
Guatemala. Take a birding tour to the
Boquete Highlands or the Fortuna For-
est Reserve cloud forests for the latter.
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site,
shared with Costa Rica next door, is La
Amistad International Park, considered
one of the most bio-diverse areas in Cen-
tral America. Perfect for hiking, the trails
pass through untouched rainforest, and
alongside 400 bird species, you may find
100 varieties of mammals as well.
The Panama Canal is a big attraction,
and visitors come to the locks to watch
the big ships pass. But in the middle of
the canal’s course is Gatun Lake. Here
you can find Barro Colorado Island,
a rich preserve of tropical forest that
draws scientists from all over the world
with its more than 500 species each of
A rainbow with the 11,500-foot Volcano Barú in the background at Boquete. Panama.
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
ALL PHOTOS BY SHUTTERSTOCK
trees and butterflies and 400 types of
birds. When available, professionally
guided day tours run by the Smithso-
nian—yes, that Smithsonian—depart
from Gamboa, a lakeside town half an
hour’s drive outside of Panama City.
Coiba
Off the Pacific coast is Coiba Island,
which once was home to a penal col-
ony. Needless to say, the presence of
prisoners kept people away for many
years, and had the unintended effect of
preserving much of the natural beauty
and wildlife. Today, the island—and 37
others—are protected along with their
surrounding waters as Coiba National
Park. In 2005, this park was also listed
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Isla
Coiba is only a 15-minute boat ride from
the mainland, but entry requires a pre-
arranged permit, and the only overnight
stays are in basic cabins at the ranger
station or camping with organized tour
companies. Snorkeling and scuba div-
ing are recommended, and you may see
abundant marine life among the marine
preserve’s reefs, including dolphins and
even whale sharks.
Climb a Volcano
The highest point in Panama is the
11,500-foot Barú Volcano, which has not
seen an eruption for at least 400 years.
The climate changes as you climb, and
this has turned the peak into a biocli-
matic island when compared to the sur-
rounding region. This is Volcán Barú
National Park, a rich rainforest with a
high canopy and thick foliage hosting
orchids and other exotic plants. Bamboo
grows in some patches, while the further
 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 B3

Rural thatch
houses and
street in Kuna
Village, San Blas
Islands.

up you go, cloud forest emerges—birders
will love this. The Quetzal Trail is the most
popular for hikers. Whitewater rafting on
rivers racing down the mountain is also
possible.
The Darién
The Pan-American Highway runs the length
of North and South America, but the one
stretch that remains incomplete is at the
eastern end of Panama: the Darién Gap.
During my tenure there, this wild tangle of
wilderness was mostly a no-go zone, espe-
cially the areas closer to Colombia, and some
of it still is. Today, however, you can join tours
into some areas of the Darién National Park
for birdwatching and other wildlife spotting.
Find Your Own Way
But perhaps the place I visited most of-
ten isn’t on a lot of travel lists. It is an area
around San Lorenzo, the ruins of a Spanish
fortress at the mouth of the Chagres River
on the Atlantic Coast west of Colón. Stop for
a visit at the Gatún Locks on the canal, then
venture past Fort Sherman—the former
U.S. Army base—and on to the road to San
Lorenzo, through the tangled forest where
The canal is a U.S. troops once trained for jungle warfare.
At the end are the sun-baked stones of the
big attraction, Spanish fort and a beautiful view of the sea.
and visitors Across the river is forest preserve. But back
along that road to get there, you are likely
come to the to spot spider monkeys swinging through
Two cargo ships
enter the Gatun
locks to watch branches, or hear howler monkeys roaring Locks from the
above you. Hidden just beyond the trees is Gatun Lake in
the big ships a rough rocky shoreline characterized by the Panama
ancient coral, as well as some intermittent Canal.
pass. But in the crescents of sand. Honestly, this isn’t likely
middle of the to be on an itinerary anywhere, but finding
a two-track path down through the jungle
canal’s course to a secluded little cove to swim and snorkel
was unforgettable.
is Gatun Lake.
Kevin Revolinski is an avid traveler, craft
beer enthusiast, and home cooking fan. He
is the author of 15 books, including “The
Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American
Teacher in Turkey” and his new collec- The second lock
tion of short stories, “Stealing Away.” He of the Panama
is based in Madison, Wisconsin, and his canal from the
website is TheMadTraveler.com Pacific ocean.

Unmoved
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Size: 29 1/2 x 39 1/2 in

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B4 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

History
Abounds in
Richmond,
Virginia
RACHAEL DYMSKI Revolutionary War
Now the state capital of Virginia, Rich-

T
he first time I set foot in Richmond, mond, located just 120 miles outside of
Virginia, I was an aspiring writer Washington, D.C., has strong ties to both
working on a (terrible) novel about the Revolutionary and Civil War eras. Much
a family torn apart by differing loyalties of the city was set aflame during the Revo-
during the Civil War. Newly married, lutionary War by the turncoat Benedict Ar-
living in Charlottesville, Virginia, I was nold after Virginia Gov. Thomas Jefferson
fascinated by the amount of resources the refused to hand over Richmond’s tobacco
state of Virginia provided about the and military supplies. In retaliation,
war, its background, and the lives Jefferson called upon the militia,
of the people who fought in it. Richmond is who beat back Arnold and his
I was in Richmond to visit a city rooted men out of Richmond and into
the American Civil War in history, Portsmouth.
Museum at Historic Trede- independence, The Virginia State Capitol,
gar and the White House of and designed by Jefferson in 1785,
the Confederacy. As a born innovation. houses the oldest elected legis-
and raised New Yorker, I had lative body in the United States:
little understanding of the com- the Virginia General Assembly,
plexities of the war and the tumultu- known in 1619 as the House of Burgesses.
ous years that led up to it. I expected to In normal times, this building offers tours
spend the entire day in the museum, to the public, though this service is tempo-
head buried in displays and paragraphs rarily closed due to COVID.
of text I could eventually transfer to the
backdrop of my book. Civil War
Instead, it was Richmond that fas- Richmond’s role during the Civil War was
cinated me: its picturesque blocks of no less central. The city served as the capi-
brick row houses and manicured side- tal of the Confederate States, and Jefferson
walks, the looming pillars of the Virginia Davis and his family lived in what is now
State Capitol, the canal walk, dotted known as the White House of the Confed-
with markers that tell the story of the eracy from 1861 to 1865. Today, the house The Virginia State and worked in this fleeting capital of the
400-year-old city. Richmond was a mu- is owned and operated by the American Capitol. South.
seum in itself—a city rooted in history, Civil War Museum. Visitors can learn in During the fall of Richmond at the end of
independence, and innovation. depth about the lives of those who lived the Civil War, much of the city was again
burned, destroying many historic homes
ARCHIVE PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES
and buildings. Today, Church Hill Historic The
District holds a glimpse of what the city Maymont
looked like before the wreckage that came Mansion,
with the end of the war: antebellum houses, a historic
as well as St. John’s Episcopal Church, built house
in 1741, where Patrick Henry famously said, museum.

CAROL BELL/SHUTTERSTOCK

Engraved view of the

city of Richmond,
including the James
River, Spring Hill and
the Capitol, circa 1863.

tained in even the largest box of crayons.

Take the Winding Highway to Hana
FYLLIS HOCKMAN
Just as the queasiness in my stomach from
the continuous onslaught of curves and cut-
backs along the narrow uphill road began to
subside, we rounded yet another 180-degree
bend. The first waterfall with whipped-cream
waters dripping down deep-creviced cleav-
ages appeared by the roadside, its beauty
washing away all my remaining reservations.
It was the first of many such waterfalls we
were to encounter.
Such is the road to Hana, which traverses
the northern coast of Maui in Hawaii, from
the rustic village of Paia to its destination
at the eastern tip. While only 52 miles long,
this series of twists, turns, dips and dives
can take up to three hours to negotiate. But
the ever-present views of lush greenery and
ocean blues, vistas of rock and white water
foaming up over the shores, and waterfalls
bubbling over craggy cliffs are well worth the
daylong adventure.
The road narrows even further—if such a
thing is possible—as the vegetation increases
in lushness and hue. I smirked at the sign that
read, “Narrow Winding Road Next 30 Miles,”
thinking the announcement superfluous un-
til an immediate double hairpin turn attested
to its validity. Forests of sugar cane, coconut
trees, and pineapple fields abound, and the
An aerial view of the Hana Highway
on the island of Maui in Hawaii shows
how difficult the road is to negotiate.
COURTESY OF VICTOR BLOCK
banyan trees lean forward suggestively as
though to beckon you onward.
Still, take time to stop and walk. Sit be-
neath a banana tree enveloped by giant
6-foot-long leaves. Look out at the wrinkled
brown-hued mountains lacerated with ridg-
es created by 2.5 million years of rainfall.
Look below to the ocean, so varied in color
it seems to contain every shade of blue con-
Thus fortified, return to the ongoing
challenge of the Hana Highway, certainly
a misnomer considering its 600 curves and
56 one-lane bridges. Nearby Kaumahina
State Park combines a Garden of Eden set-
ting with the more practical appeal of rest-
rooms and picnic tables. Be sure to follow
the stone-cut nature trail for a dip in the
natural swimming pool framed by waterfall
and rock—a refreshing antidote to the heat
and strain of the drive.
If you’re a flora-and-fauna buff, a stop at
the Ke’anae Arboretum is a must. It’s as close
to a Hawaiian jungle as you can get with a
wealth of native trees, plants, and flowers
visible to the knowing eye.
Pua’a Ka’a State Wayside Park—with
everything an everyday paradise should
have—is the next stop. The footpath, remi-
niscent of the road, winds in and out along
streams and overlooks. Overlapping paths
through multicolored bushes lead ultimate-
ly to a consortium of pools and waterfalls.
Irresistibly clear, clean, cool waters flow-
ing in, under, and around rocks entice even
the most hardened holdout. A swing on the
Tarzanlike hanging vines overhead adds a
dimension to the tropical swimming hole
most backyard pools lack.
At the rise of another double-U bend in
the road is a small roadside stand proffer-
ing manna in the form of a variety of native
refreshments—home-grown bananas, pa-
payas, guavas, coconuts, and pineapples.
While there, we watched the owner, ma-
 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
NPS
While only 52 miles
long, this series of
twists, turns, dips
and dives can take
up to three hours to
negotiate.
chete in hand, traipse down a nearby path
and return with bunches of bananas to meet
the demands of the lunchtime crowd. Now
that’s fast food made to order!
With your spirits refreshed and stamina
rekindled, a visit to nearby Wai’anapanapa
State Park temporarily transports you into an
otherworldly excursion before entering the
tranquil town of Hana. But be forewarned:
Reservations and a fee are now required for
out-of-state visitors.
Although the Island of Hawaii is better
known for its black-sand beaches, this park
presents its own opportunity to experience
this incongruous adornment to a surfside
setting. A steep-stepped path meanders
beneath extensive overhangs of gnarled,
twisted branches so thick with growth that
an eerie darkness prevails even on a sunny
day. Hidden within the rainforest vegetation,
cavernous rock formations envelop crisp
freshwater pools connected by lava tunnels.
Lightness and color return with the ap-
ZACK FRANK/SHUTTERSTOCK
COURTESY OF VICTOR BLOCK
A waterfall on the Hana Highway on the island
of Maui in Hawaii surprises and delights
passersby.
proach to Hana. Large trees with red-blos-
som canopies, rainbow-lined sidewalks,
and green-laden hillside welcome your ar-
rival. However, considering this is the only
stretch of civilization in a three-hour trek,
you hardly even know you’ve arrived. A few
small stores, the delightful Hana-Maui Ho-
tel, and the presence of people who clearly
are not tourists signal the change.
B5
GR8T SHOTS/GETTY IMAGES
The oldest public “Give me liberty or give me death.”
Japanese garden The Richmond National Battlefield pro-
on the East Coast vides an in-depth look at the last days of
is located at the the Civil War, where the city was captured
Maymont estate. by the Union forces in April 1865. Chimbo-
razo Park, nearby, is the site of where the
Confederate Chimborazo Hospital, one of
the largest military hospitals in the world,
Richmond once operated.
is a thriving Visiting Richmond
Southern Today, Richmond is a thriving Southern
city, full of charm, history, food, and cul-
city, full ture. As a mother traveling with kids who
love to run around,
of charm, I appreciate all the ARCHIVE PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES
history, green space. Just
outside the city’s
food, and center is the May-
mont estate, which
culture. features a mansion
built in the late
1890s, a children’s
petting farm, and
a 100-acre park.
The Lewis Ginter
Botanical Garden
Military reenactors features 50 acres of gardens to explore, as An engraving
fight in a living well as a children’s garden. of the Virginia
history program at State Capitol
It was history that brought me to Rich-
Richmond National building, circa
Battlefield Park. mond the first time; it’s the landmarks and
food that keeps me coming back. There 1790–1800.
is Hollywood Cemetery, which is home
to the final resting places of Presidents
James Monroe and John Tyler, as well as
Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, and countless soldiers.
The Virginia Holocaust Museum is as
haunting as it is respectful, and the Poe
Museum offers insight into the life of the
poet who spent several years living and
working in Richmond.
Finally, no visit to Richmond would be
complete without a fried crab cake sand-
wich at Laura Lee’s or coffee at Lamplighter.
I never did finish that first novel—and
most days I think, like most writers’ first
novels, it’s better in a box than in the light of
day. But every time I go back to Richmond,
I’m tempted to dust it off and revisit it, if
only to give myself an excuse to immerse
myself again in the resources the city of-
fers. It’s one thing to be rich in history, quite
another to be well-documented about it.
Richmond, delightfully, is both.
Rachael Dymski is an author, florist, and
mom to two little girls. She is currently
writing a novel about the German occu-
pation of the Channel Islands and blogs
on her website, RachaelDymski.com
JOSEPH SOHM/SHUTTERSTOCK
Rows of mailboxes A visit to the Hasegawa General Store—im-
along the road to Hana. mortalized in a 1964 song of the same name
by Paul Weston—jolted me out of the tranquil
reverie engendered by the town. The small
store, well-known for its awesome accumula-
Ke’anae tion of every conceivable item, is so cluttered
and cramped that, for me, it conflicted with
Arboretum the airy openness of the natural beauty all
is as close to around. Still, it is a worthwhile stop, if only to
pick up some Dramamine—the store’s best-
a Hawaiian selling item—for the ride back.
jungle as When You Go
you can get. For more information: GoHawaii.com/is-
lands/maui/regions/east-maui/hana. Please
check ahead for COVID testing requirements
and restrictions.
Fyllis Hockman is a freelance writer. To
read features by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators
Syndicate website at Creators.com. Copy-
right 2021 Creators.com
 B6 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

ZGPHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK

View of the Tokaj wine region with the town of Tokaj and the Tisza River at sunrise.

Hungarian Wine Is Above the Radar Once More

ATHENA LUCERO Hungarian wines in the United States are Hungary’s 22 wine regions flourish in a

H
ungarian wines could have
been a household word today,
but two world wars and 40
years under communist rule
forced a major pause on this
once-formidable wine-producing country.
“Wines from Hungary were considered
the best in the world!” a wine store owner
excitedly replied when I inquired whether
he carried any. He didn’t that day, because
COURTESY OF TASTE HUNGARY
hard to come by.
Americans who A look at the world map shows that Hun-
gary in central Europe is about the size of
like discovering the state of New York and shares the same
viniculture-friendly latitude and Mediterra-
new wine love nean climate with Austria, Switzerland, and
it here because France to its west. Historical records indicate
that Hungarians began making wine before
there are so the Romans. Its acclaimed Tokaji Aszu des-
sert wine comes from Tokaj, the oldest classi-
many native fied wine region in the world and a UNESCO
grapes that are World Heritage Site. It was a favorite of King
climate conducive to growing grapes and
rich in lush romantic landscapes ranging
from basal-vulcanite mountains to the
lowlands and plains of volcanic limestone,
clay, and sandy soils. Its four most popu-
lar winemaking regions stretch across the
country: Nagy Somlo in the west, Villany in
the south, then Eger and Tokaj (Hungary’s
crown jewel) in the north.
Hundreds of grape varieties—from in-
digenous to international—grow through-
out the country. The most popular white

Louis the 14th of France, who called it the
only found in “wine of kings, king of wines.”
Hungary. During communist Hungary, the larg-
est wine-producing country in the Eastern
Carolyn Banfalvi Bloc, exported huge amounts of wine to the
Soviet Union, which was more interested
in quantity than quality. When commu-
Athena Bochanis of
nism ended in 1989, land was returned to
Palinkerie Fine Hungarian
Imports (R) and Hungarian its rightful owners, including winemaking
winemaker Tamas Kis of families and others keen on being a part of
Somloi Vandor Winery Hungary’s winemaking renaissance. The
partner to provide late 1990s marked the rebirth of fine wine-
Hungarian wines for making throughout the country.
American audiences. Covering three-quarters of the country,
grapes include Furmit, Harslevelu, Irsai
Oliver Juhfark, Keknyelu, and Olaszrizling.
Cabernet Franc, Kekfrankos, Kadarka, and
Portugieser are some of the celebrated reds.
While the COVID-19 pandemic put re-
straints on travel, it didn’t stop me from
finding Hungarian wines online, thanks to
Taste Hungary, Hungary’s most successful
tourism operation, based in Budapest.
Founded in 2008, co-owners Carolyn and
Gabor Banfalvi (she’s American, he’s Hun-
garian) shared a passion to “reintroduce”
visitors to Hungary, its reemerging wine
culture and “culinary paradise.” Carolyn

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art posters, and framed prints of
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 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 B7
YANNICK MARTINEZ/SHUTTERSTOCK ANDOCS/SHUTTERSTOCK

(Left) Bottles of Tokaji wine await tasting. (Right) Sunset falls over vineyards in the Tokaj wine region.

holds a culinary school degree and is a
Hungarian food book author (“Food Wine
Budapest”).
By 2014, the Banfalvis opened a wine
cellar, The Tasting Table, in Budapest and
soon after, a wine shop across the street for
clients and the public to sample and buy
wines produced throughout the country.
In a most intuitive move before the pan-
demic, they decided in 2019 to offer an
online wine shop in the United States for
their American clients back in the States
who longed to enjoy the Hungarian wines
they had learned to love, not to mention
Hungarian ex-pats thirsty for wines from
the homeland. Its popularity helped them
survive the lockdowns.
At first glance, the online offerings were diz-
zying, and the labels were in Hungarian. But I
closed my neophyte eyes and went for it—two
whites (from Tokaj and Somlo) and a red (from
Villany). The English description of one of
the whites—Erszebet, Lunee, 2019 ($19.90)—
had me hooked: “There are few places in the
world where Muscat Blanc makes such excit-
tory of winemaking,” Carolyn Banfalvi
explained to me over the phone, “but it is
Historical still one of the unknown countries in the
records U.S. Travelers are blown away when they
discover a whole new wine culture ... and
indicate that Americans who like discovering new wine
love it here because there are so many na-
Hungarians tive grapes that are only found in Hungary.”
began making Growing more fascinated with Hungary’s
wine culture, I also connected with Athena
wine before Bochanis, owner of Palinkerie Fine Hun-
the Romans. garian Imports in New York. She focuses
exclusively on Hungarian wines and spirits.
“I became enthusiastically entranced
with Hungary’s culture, food, and wine,”
said Bochanis, who lived a year in Hungary
during law school—and learned to speak
perfect Hungarian.
A few years later, in 2013, after in-depth
research and combing small wineries
around Hungary, Bochanis took a leap of
faith and founded Palinkerie to promote
WHEN YOU GO exciting wines produced by Hungary’s
younger and less-represented generation
To learn more about of winemakers.
nats, natural, and organic wine. But com-
ing from a long tradition of winemaking
families, they still want to work with classic
styles and traditional grapes to make wines
that “tell you they are from Hungary even
if they have a modern sensibility.”
The benefit of being a small operation,
says Bochanis, is that “I have an oppor- Iconic
Hungarian
tunity to import some of the best wines.”
stuffed
Winemaking in Hungary is back.
cabbage pairs
beautifully with
Athena Lucero is a freelance writer. To the Hungarian
read features by other Creators Syndicate wines that are
writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators re-emerging
Syndicate website at Creators.com. Copy- on the world
right 2021 Creators.com market.

COURTESY OF TASTE HUNGARY

ing wine” and “Mexican food and light spicy Hungarian wines, Bochanis describes the winemakers
food are a perfect match!” At first sip, the floral view virtual wine- she partners with—some second-, third-,
character jumped out with delicious flavors tastings and purchase fourth- and seventh-generation winemak-
of grapefruit zest, elderflower, passion fruit, wines online, visit ers—as “a great blend of knowing what’s
and mango. TasteHungary.com and going on in the world” and willing to invest
“Hungary has quite a big and long his- Palinkerie.com in new methods of winemaking such as pét-

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